It’s a joint effort
We focus on maximising local food rescue and donations by partnering with more than 50 local suppliers—including supermarkets, food manufacturers, businesses and farmers—to recover quality surplus food, strengthen food security across our region, and reduce avoidable food waste.
Thank You to our Food Suppliers
Regional Food Security Networks
We collaborate with other regional food rescue and relief hubs to strengthen the sourcing, distribution and coordination of rescued and donated food. By sharing knowledge, resources and innovative approaches, we work together to improve food security outcomes for regional communities.
Established in 2022, the Regional Food Security Alliance (RFSA) is a collaborative network of regional Victorian food rescue and relief hubs committed to building a stronger, more connected food security system. Through collective advocacy, shared initiatives and strategic partnerships, the Alliance improves efficiency, reduces duplication, strengthens emergency preparedness and response, and increases equitable access to nutritious food across regional Victoria.
As a founding member of the RFSA, FoodShare contributes to statewide initiatives that deliver greater impact than individual organisations can achieve alone.
Regional Food Security Alliance (RFSA) Members This model has demonstrated the value of regional collaboration, creating opportunities to share expertise, strengthen advocacy, leverage collective purchasing and food sourcing,
coordinate emergency responses, and develop innovative solutions to emerging food security challenges.
We see significant potential to establish a similar collaborative network across regional NSW, strengthening partnerships and creating a more coordinated and resilient food relief network across regional NSW communities
Food Quality and Quantity
Each month, FoodShare rescues more than 47.8 tonnes of quality food that would otherwise go to waste, providing the equivalent of 1.3 million meals every year to people across our region experiencing food insecurity.
Not all rescued food can be redistributed. Our team carefully inspects every delivery, removing any produce that has genuinely perished. This organic waste is collected by local farmers and repurposed as livestock feed, ensuring as little as possible ends up in landfill. Volunteers also sort and repack bulk deliveries into practical quantities that are ready for our network of agencies, schools and community organisations.
Our priority is to maximise the supply of fresh, nutritious food including fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat and other perishable items. Working closely with our food suppliers, volunteers and community partners, we move fresh produce quickly through our warehouse to maintain quality and ensure it reaches local families while it is at its best.
FoodShare operates under the same strict food safety regulations as every Australian food business. We maintain rigorous food handling, storage, transport and stock control procedures and never accept or distribute food that is past its use-by date or fails to meet food safety standards.
So why is so much perfectly good food available for rescue?
Often it has nothing to do with quality. Products may have incorrect packaging, be slightly over or under the specified weight, be a discontinued product line, or simply be approaching their best-before date before they can be sold. In other cases, packaging may have been cosmetically damaged during transport or by the weather. Whatever the reason, the food itself remains safe, nutritious and delicious. By recovering this surplus food before it is discarded, FoodShare gives it a second purpose—helping nourish people in our community instead of contributing to food waste.