OzHarvest will see its federal funding more than double after rescuing 200,000 kilograms of food from landfill in Tasmania during its first 11 months of operation.
Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles announced the boost in Launceston on Tuesday, confirming the Commonwealth will provide $460 million over five years for national financial relief, including $20 million earmarked for food rescue organisations.
The announcement comes as Tasmania faces high rates of food insecurity, driven by rising costs and what charity workers describe as an “intergenerational” loss of basic cooking skills.
Jenn Heggarty, who launched OzHarvest’s Tasmanian service from her own car last year, said the problem goes well beyond tight household budgets.
“The cost of food is very high at the moment – on a small income, it’s really hard to be able to buy fresh and nutritious food especially including proteins for your family,” she said.
“But in addition, it’s that knowledge of knowing what to do with food.”
She said some families lacked the basic equipment to prepare meals at home, while others simply didn’t know how to cook.
OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn said Tasmania’s high rates of diabetes and obesity showed the crisis couldn’t be solved with food distribution alone.
“When you teach people how to cook, how to eat, how to live a healthier life, then it is sustainable and it’s long term,” she said.
The 200,000 kilograms collected so far represents roughly 400,000 meals.
The organisation currently operates in Launceston and plans to expand to Hobart next year.
A permanent delivery truck will arrive in two weeks, replacing the makeshift operation that began with Heggarty’s personal vehicle.
“For Launceston, this is the first dedicated five-day-a-week food rescue service in the state,” Heggarty said.
“And expanding that to Hobart next year would be a huge achievement, but also and more importantly it will be so impactful for those communities in Hobart that are currently missing out.”
