Food Appreciation Month a success, with 92% of participants reducing their food waste
In May, hundreds of people around Aotearoa came together with a shared goal: waste less food, save more money, and make kai go further. The ripple effects are underway, with over 90% of Every Bite participants reducing their avoidable food waste during the month - and planning to continue.
Throughout the month, Every Bite’s community Hubs, found across Aotearoa, ran four-week programmes designed to help households become more food-resourceful. Participants attended a kick-off event, then received practical tips, tricks, and tasty recipes to keep more food on plates and less in the bin. At the end, they came together to celebrate their wins, reconnecting with food, with each other, and with a shared commitment to wasting less.
Whether in person or online, people appreciated the chance to swap ideas and support each other. “I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the programme, especially when people shared their tips and tricks,” said one participant. “We haven't had takeaways in four weeks!”
Hubs offered a range of launch events for those taking part, including chef demonstrations, shared kai, and fermenting workshops. Auckland’s Beautification Trust held a low waste cook-off featuring local twins Twinspeakeatgo, and an EcoSolutions group made their own beeswax wraps and soft cheese at the wrap-up gathering. “Love the enthusiasm and passion of the facilitators,” said one participant. “I really enjoyed the programme,” said another. “I was a bit shocked how much food we wasted and being conscious about it made a real difference. My family is on board too, which is great.”
Within the online facilitated programme, Mainstream Green’s Nicola Turner hosted live sessions on Zoom, including one featuring chef Karl Martin-Boulton from The Green, and sent regular emails and videos across the four weeks.
By the numbers:
465 people attended Every Bite launch events, in-person with Hubs or on the live Zoom call.
92% of participants reduced their avoidable food waste, and 95% plan to continue after the programme.
Minimising food waste was the main motivation for taking part, followed by environmental concerns and the opportunity for financial savings.
“Food Appreciation Month was a wonderful opportunity for Every Bite to grow its national reach and impact”, says Programme Manager Rachel Glasier. “This year we doubled the number of community hubs involved - from four in 2024 to eight in 2025 - and also introduced the Online Facilitated Programme.”
“As explained on the excellent Love Food Hate Waste website, food waste isn’t just about what gets left on our plates. It’s a serious issue that contributes to climate change and wastes precious resources. But learning to see the value in every apple or slice of bread takes time and support.”
“Hubs are trusted voices in their communities and are inspiring and supporting people in their own communities to make small changes at home, and helping to understand why those changes really matter.”
“It was also exciting to have influencers and media involved, spreading the word more widely on the Every Bite opportunity”, says Rachel. Sustainability influencer Ethically Kate shared a ‘Kate’s plate’ of inventive leftover combinations. Bay of Plenty mum and rising Tiktok star Paris Nuku talked about the importance of food appreciation while preparing a dinner bake of lamb chops and kumara.
Other media features included RNZ’s Jesse Mulligan talking to Gina Dempster from Wānaka Wastebusters, chef Karl Martin-Boulton in The Post on making simple changes for the better, and Newstalk ZB’s Kerre Woodham chatting with Sam Paterson from Sustainability Hawke’s Bay.
Programme feedback from participants:
“I just wasn't aware that I was wasting daily. It was really eye opening and really helpful.”
“I learnt so much and feel we have put some really important values in place for our family.”
“The programme has helped us fine-tune what we already do, and given us some great ideas.”
“Just a really great programme aimed at supporting people to think more, and be creative with their kai.”
Every Bite will run Food Appreciation Month again, offering both online and in-person options. An expression-of-interest process for Hubs interested in delivering the programme to their community will open in late July.
Every Bite is one of the Ministry for the Environment’s National Food Waste Reduction Programmes. It is a collaborative programme that is being designed and delivered by Zero Waste Aotearoa, with the support of members from both Zero Waste Aotearoa and Environment Hubs Aotearoa.
Want to stay in the loop? Sign up here to stay up with the latest news and programme opportunities.
Hungry for more food waste prevention content? Check out Love Food Hate Waste for recipes, tips, and events.