Food Rescue

Countdown and The Salvation Army – helping feed those in need

Countdown and the Salvation Army have launched Countdown Food Rescue, a nationwide initiative to help redirect surplus ‘fit for consumption’ food from going to waste.

Groceries which Countdown cannot sell which remain safe to eat will now be redirected to The Salvation Army wherever possible.

Sadly, demand for emergency food assistance from Salvation Army is increasing. This year alone, more than 60,000 food parcels have been distributed to help 26,000 new clients or families.

Countdown has food which, for various reasons, it cannot sell. Much of this food is good quality – it’s just that a label might have been ripped or a can may have been dented – this initiative uses this surplus food to create food parcels.

Demand for food parcels peaks during the Christmas period and stocks can run low. To help address this, every Countdown store is also donating $500 worth of groceries to their local Salvation Army Centre. Overall, more than $80,000 worth of groceries will be donated, helping create more than 1300 food parcels.

Countdown customers will have a chance to show their support too. In the lead up to Christmas, supermarket operators will ask customers to ‘add an extra helping’. During the week beginning Monday 5 December, each Countdown store will be displaying a trolley of groceries it will be gifting to local Salvation Army Centres across the country. Customers are encouraged to add non-perishable items to the donation boxes.

Here are some of the top ten needed food items for food parcels:

1. Pasta
2. Rice
3. Cereal
4. Spaghetti and baked beans
5. Canned fruit and canned vegetables
6. Canned fish and canned meat
7. Sugar
8. Flour
9. Muesli bars
10. Tea, coffee and Milo