Reflecting on a Year of Food-Saving Wins

As we wrap up another incredible year at Love Food Hate Waste NZ, we’re excited to look back at some of our most memorable moments of food-saving wins. Thanks to your passion and support, 2024 was a year of powerful change, innovative tools, and inspiring recipes—all aimed at helping busy Kiwis make the most of their food while saving money and resources.

collage of recipes from 2024

Our food waste-fighting community

Together with our incredible partners and food waste-fighting community (that’s you!), we’ve introduced initiatives that make reducing food waste easy, impactful, and fun. A special mention goes to our friends Misfit Garden who continue to deliver mouth-watering and creative recipes like melt-in-the-middle courgette fritters and beetroot flatbread , both of which became fast favourites on social media.

And of course, our collaboration with the amazing VJ Cooks, Nurtured by Han, and Jax Hamilton for ‘Leftover Legends’, where they transformed leftovers into mouth-watering dishes like Chicken and Pineapple Fried Rice, Wontons, and Crispy Veggie Rolls.

Eat Me First

We’re proud to share, over 80% report the stickers are helping them save money by using food they might normally have forgotten. By acting as a visual reminder, they’ve improved peoples planning & shopping behaviours; 4 out of 5 are actively checking their EMF shelf when prepping snacks, planning meals and writing their shopping lists.

They’ve also instigated important conversations around food waste and reflecting on the true value of food—the time, effort, and resources that go into producing it from farm to fork. This shift in mindset is helping Kiwis make more mindful choices, reducing waste and ensuring that food isn’t taken for granted.

Huge thanks to Woolworths for making sticker collection easy, and to local councils who set up hubs in libraries and community centres to support the initiative. If you haven’t tried our FREE reusable Eat Me First stickers yet, or need a fresh set, they’re still available to order here.

Summer ready ☀️

Looking ahead to summer, we’re all about simple, practical tips to help you waste less food. Check out our FREE downloadable fridge and freezer guides to make storage a breeze, and for tips to keep food fresh during the festive season visit our ‘Chill Out’ page.

Visit our summer and food safety page for ways to keep food fresh in the heat, and check out the popular ‘8 ways with series’ for recipe inspiration on a range of ingredients from hummus to tomatoes. How about barbecued meats? We’ve got you covered with ways to makeover leftover barbecued meat.

Big thank you 💚

It’s been a year full of food-saving fun, thank you for joining us on this journey. Let’s keep the momentum going as we head into the new year together!