Nosh Food Rescue flies the zero food waste flag high

Founder of Nosh Food Rescue Hanneke van Linge writes:

For the past five years, the non-profit Nosh Food Rescue NPC based in Fontainebleau has been assisting soup kitchens, shelters and feeding schemes with food and produce ‘rescued’ from the food chain.

Such products would otherwise have been thrown away for various reasons – not necessarily related to quality and safety – but Nosh collects, sorts, assesses and cleans it so that it is completely safe for consumption before distributing.

In response to the looming lockdown in April, Nosh saw that the need for food among vulnerable communities would become even greater so they initiated a new collaboration called Chefs with Compassion (CWC) which harnessed the skills of then-idle chefs, cookery schools and restaurants to cook the rescued produce and turn it into tasty, nutritious meals to be handed out.
The HTA School of Culinary Art, a prominent chef’s school in Randburg, generously offered their gorgeous premises as a temporary base, not only to cook thousands of meals at, but also to act as the CWC Sharehouse where produce was being gathered and distributed to more than 30 kitchen hubs across Gauteng.

In addition to Nosh, the CWC partners are the SA Chefs Association, Slow Food International, Slow Food Chefs Alliance SA and Strategic PR, and recently the project exceeded the incredible milestone of one-million cooked meals since inception. With lockdown easing, HTA has been able to resume teaching activities again, so CWC has had to find a new home.
However, Nosh will continue to offer it’s Odd Plate Dinners at HTA as before, which is not only their way of fundraising but also to engage with Randburg residents and other diners while they are enjoying a gourmet three-course meal.
Should you wish to attend such a dinner, or perhaps volunteer or donate to Nosh, please contact us.

Details: Hanneke van Linge hanneke@noshfoodrescue.co.za