Food: It’s About Feeding People Well

People often think Loaves and Fishes Tasmania is simply a food rescue organisation.

Food rescue is an incredibly important part of what we do. Every week, we rescue more than 20 tonnes of perfectly good food that might otherwise go to waste.

But it’s only part of the story.

Our commitment is bigger: we want Tasmanians to have access to good, fresh and nutritious food.

Not just what happens to be available

There’s a simple challenge with relying on rescued food alone.

What happens to be surplus isn’t necessarily what someone needs to eat well.

That’s why we rescue food, gratefully receive donated food, and complement it with carefully sourced ingredients.

If something is missing from a nutritious meal, we source it.

Because our goal isn’t simply to distribute as much food as possible. It’s to make sure people are fed well.

As I often say to our team:

“It’s not about how many meals we feed people. It’s about how many people we feed well.”

For us, that means fresh produce, good protein, variety and complete, nutritious meals.

More than a number

Across the food relief sector, we often talk about tonnes rescued, meals distributed and even how many meals can be provided for a dollar.

Those numbers have value. We use numbers ourselves to understand our impact.

But they don’t tell the whole story.

A quantity of rescued food counted as a meal isn’t necessarily the same as a complete, nutritious meal.

So rather than asking “How cheaply can we provide a meal?”, we prefer to ask:

“Have we fed this person well?”

That difference matters to us.

Tasmanian food for Tasmanians

We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a state that produces some of the best food in the world.

We also know how much work goes into producing it.

That’s why our relationships with Tasmanian farmers, growers and producers are so important.

We want to rescue good Tasmanian food rather than see it wasted. We value the extraordinary food donated to us. And when we need to source additional ingredients, wherever practical, we want to source them here in Tasmania.

That means our investment can do two things at once: provide good food to Tasmanians who need it and support the farmers, producers, suppliers and jobs that make up our local food economy.

Today, food from Loaves and Fishes reaches more than 270 community organisations across Tasmania, while our kitchens produce more than 30,000 nutritious meals every week.

And behind those meals are our chefs, trainees, apprentices and volunteers who turn great ingredients into food people can genuinely enjoy.

Emergency relief will always matter

When someone needs food today, we need to respond today.

Emergency relief will always be at the heart of Loaves and Fishes.

But we don’t believe emergency relief should be where the story ends.

We want to help build a stronger Tasmanian food system — one that reduces unnecessary waste, values our farmers and producers, strengthens our local economy and ensures good, nutritious food reaches the people who need it.

And ultimately, we want to help create a Tasmania where fewer people need emergency food relief in the first place.

Tasmania already produces extraordinary food.

We believe every Tasmanian should have the opportunity to enjoy it.

Because for us, it’s never simply about how many meals we provide.

It’s about how many people we feed well.