Healthy and affordable food

Healthy food contributes to healthy communities. Nutritious food reduces the risk of chronic diseases that take a toll on families and communities and place pressure on our health system. Access to healthy and affordable food should not be a privilege, yet one in five New Zealand children live in homes where there is not enough food. Food is what we do, and we have a responsibility to help fellow New Zealanders by providing nutritious and healthy food so they can enrich their own lives. We will continue breaking down the barriers that prevent this.

Food For Thought

We believe in the importance of empowering the next generation and giving them the tools to make good choices about what they eat. Since 2007, our national brands (New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square) have actively supported Food for Thought – a free nutritional education programme delivered in schools by the Heart Foundation and Food for Thought Education Trust. It teaches Year 5 and 6 students how to make healthy food choices, including how to plan and budget for meals, with resources available in English, Te Reo Māori and Samoan. Since its inception, Food for Thought has reached more than 185,000 Kiwi kids in over 7,000 classes around New Zealand. We know that it’s making a difference, as families of children who have participated in the programme have significantly decreased their purchases of unhealthy food. 2016 research suggests that family shops show a 7% reduction in soft drinks and 2% in confectionery consumption after a child completes the Food For Thought program. This initiative is important as we continue our journey to ensure every New Zealander has access to healthy and affordable food. You can read more about Food for Thought here.

Eat My Lunch

As a business, we prioritise working closely with others to have a collective impact that is greater than what we could hope to achieve alone. We are delighted to work with Eat My Lunch – a social enterprise that is on a journey to give lunches to hungry kiwi school kids who would otherwise go without. Our minority investment in Eat My Lunch, ongoing governance, business support, and volunteer hours to help make lunches, helps them to scale and develop their operations, getting even more lunches to kids who need them most. We’re also proud to support Eat My Lunch as a preferred catering supplier. Support from Foodstuffs and other organisations and donors has enabled Eat My Lunch to get more than 1.5 million lunches to kiwi kids since its inception in 2015, and we are excited to see that number continue to grow. We are proud to be a supporter of Eat My Lunch, as they continue their social mission to ensure no kid goes hungry. You can read more about the awesome work they are doing here.

5+ A Day

Foodstuffs supports 5+ A Day - a Charitable Trust which encourages all Kiwis to eat five or more servings of colourful, fresh fruit and vegetables every day for health and vitality. 5+ A Day focuses its work in the education setting. Curriculum-linked resources promoting awareness, understanding and knowledge of the importance of eating 5+ A Day are produced and distributed free to educators. Our Vision is to have all New Zealanders understanding and enjoying the benefits of a daily diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables.

Visit the 5+ A Day website here.

Foodstuffs’ Pledge to Promote Healthier Eating

As the largest food retailer in New Zealand, Foodstuffs has a role to play in helping support the New Zealand Government’s Childhood Obesity Plan and creating healthier communities that will thrive in the long-term.

We have pledged to focus on a number of areas which are outlined below.

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