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YUME PUTTING THE PLUS IN SURPLUS QUALITY FOOD Yume, an online B2B marketplace for the sale of quality surplus food to help reduce food waste in Australia, partnered with Kellogg’s to list through the Yume platform surplus raw materials that become available during the manufacturing process. The platform enables food suppliers such as primary producers and manufacturers to safely sell their quality surplus products directly to buyers in the foodservice industry. Kellogg’s ANZ Director of Marketing and Corporate Affairs Tamara Howe says partnering with Yume is another way for the food manufacturing company to continue tackling the issue of food insecurity and ensure that no food or ingredients it buys go to waste. “We know that the ingredients that go into our foods use our natural resources, including water and energy, plus our farmers work incredibly hard to grow these foods for us,” Ms Howe said. “Therefore, we need to make sure all that hard work and resources don’t go to waste.” Kellogg’s multifaceted approach to minimising food waste includes prevention through processes to reduce the risk of surplus stock and ingredients, and donating finished foods nearing their best-before dates but still good to eat, to people in need through its charity partners. “The Yume partnership will make it easier for others to get access to any excess ingredients we may have from time to time, and reuse these for other foods,” Ms Howe said. “There are many reasons why a manufacturer like Kellogg’s could have surplus ingredients from imperfect goods, deleted product lines or raw materials that are no longer needed for production. Thanks to Yume, Kellogg’s can continue to focus on creating high-quality breakfast products we all know and love, while Yume can focus on finding a new home for its surplus ingredients.” Food waste leader and Yume founder Katy Barfield comments that it’s good to see a “market leader” such as Kellogg’s “walking the talk and taking direct bold action into fighting food waste”. She points out that 4.1 million tonnes of food go to waste every year in Australia in the commercial food sector, with Yume working to lessen this amount though association with hundreds of food manufacturers. To date, it claims to have sold more than 1.1 million kg of quality surplus food, returning more than $4.5 million to Australian farmers and manufacturers. In doing so, the e-commerce platform – claimed to be only one of three companies globally using technology to offer a market for surplus food – says it has saved 72,123 million litres of water and prevented 2200 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released. Yume says its charity partnerships with OzHarvest, Foodbank and SecondBite enabled its South Australian stores to donate more than 491 tonnes of food to local charities, which is equivalent to 980,000 meals, a figure it hopes to increase this year. SUSTAINABILITY SAYING NO TO GMO The Tucker’s Natural Gourmet Cracker range came into being in 2007 when the company’s Managing Director, Sam Tucker, met his wife, Cindy, and realised they shared a common interest in health and wellbeing. “From there we developed a cracker that’s free from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), artificial colourings, flavours, or preservatives, and is \\\\\\\[also\\\\\\\] free from MSG, yeast and soy,” Mr Tucker said. “And it goes without saying that now all Tucker’s Natural products are certified non-GMO.” This keen interest in GMO-free food is behind the South Australian company’s support, in conjunction with Maggie Beer, San Remo and Johnny’s Popcorn Delights, for the moratorium on genetically modified (GM) crops in South Australia. The SA government has now lifted the moratorium on GM crops, but local councils still have an opportunity to make their council zone GM free. Mr Tucker emphasises to Retail World that it’s imperative that the state’s future and that of Australia’s children is safeguarded against three international chemical companies that to a certain extent control the global seed market. “I’ve been actively supporting the non- GMO position, and it’s disappointing that the state government is so short-sighted,” Mr Tucker said. “GMOs constitute one of the top five food issues on an international scale, receiving even more emphasis than concerns over artificial ingredients, sugar and hydrogenated oils. The bottom line is that the drive in Australia for GM canola in South Australia revolves around corporate profit, which will lead to other GM federal crops, including fruit and vegetables. “Australia has a bright future as a ‘clean, green food bowl’, which will attract premiums. It’s that vision which is needed by our regulators to guide our country to greater prosperity long term, rather than quick short-term fixes that appear to have financial benefit, but long term are detrimental to both profit and the Australian community.” NOV, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 49