Bay of Plenty residents will now have food rescue at their fingertips with the arrival of Foodprint. 

The app, which partners with local eateries as a platform to sell surplus and imperfect food, will be live across the region from Tuesday, November 7.

Tackling both the climate and cost of living crises, Foodprint provides a platform to prevent food waste, save consumers money and retain value for small businesses.

The app allows customers to follow their favourite eateries and receive push notifications when these eateries have food in need of ‘rescue’.

Food is purchased in the app with discounts of 30-90 per cent off the original price. Once purchased, customers simply collect before closing, preventing food from potentially going to waste.

Foodprint will now be available at selected eateries in Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Pāpāmoa and Te Puke.  

Some of their first partners in the region include Ruthy’s, Soul Boul, Be Organics, The General, Wildflour, Double Teaspoons and Marigold Cafe.

Food waste is a substantive contributor to the climate crisis, accounting for up to 10 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

“In Aotearoa, we’ve found that eateries average in excess of 1,000kg of surplus food per annum with a retail value of over $10,000,” says the app’s founder and CEO, Michal Garvey.

“If this food is sent to landfill it then contributes 2600kg of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions which are warming our planet. Food that’s edible, only belongs in one place - people’s bellies. In both a cost of living and climate crisis, there is simply no good reason to waste food.”

The Bay of Plenty is a highly requested region for Foodprint, with over 1000 customers having already joined the platform in anticipation of their arrival.

“Customers in Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Pāpāmoa have been messaging us weekly asking when we’d be heading their way. We’re very excited to now be expanding our service to cover the region, and to already have such a great response from local eateries keen to join our community.”

Foodprint’s launch couldn’t be timelier with the Ministry for the Environment releasing a formal definition of food loss and waste on Wednesday, November 1.

Reducing food waste is a key priority for both central and local governments across Aotearoa as it has economic, environmental and social impact. 

Foodprint’s launch in the region has been supported by Tauranga City Council.

“Tauranga City Council is proud to support the launch of the Foodprint app in Tauranga. It will allow members of our community and visitors to not only source great food at a discounted price from their favourite local eateries, but also help to ensure that perfectly edible food is used for its original purpose and being diverted from landfill,” says Tauranga City Council’s Nicole Banks.

“Supporting this project also meets the actions in Council's Waste Management and Minimisation Plan, enabling the diversion of food waste from landfill.”

Café operators have praised Foodprint for its sustainability purpose and usability.

Owner of Hamilton’s Fior di Latte, Gloria Parini has valued having food rescue at her fingertips.

“Foodprint is not only a great app to reduce carbon emissions, it makes our lives easier in terms of food waste control, which is always one of the biggest problems in any hospitality business,” says Gloria.

“Foodprint is a massive marketing channel that brings to the shop new people that usually we are unable to reach. Smart payments and a very intuitive and user-friendly interface makes Foodprint a must-have for every cafe/restaurant/deli.”

Foodprint has received both international and domestic recognition for its purpose, UX design and sustainability credentials.

Eateries that are interested in joining the platform can get in touch via foodprint.app and customers can download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.