Australian retail food brand manager and franchisor Retail Food Group announced it will collect donations for the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal and for flood-affected franchisees at its 1,100 stores across the country. RFG also announced it will match customer donations dollar-for-dollar up to a maximum of $100,000. The first $50,000 of this contribution will be donated to the Flood Relief Appeal, with the rest going to the families of the RFG franchisees worst impacted by the floods. Based on... ...Read more »

Australian charity Foodbank today hosted a gala lunch at the Salvation Army in Surry Hills, Sydney, to launch the national distribution of 800 tonnes of pasta and 100,000 cans of pasta sauce, produced for Foodbank under a new food donation model: the collaborative supply program. Under the Foodbank collaborative supply program, manufacturers agree to produce a product, subject to the donations of all inputs (e.g. ingredients and packaging) with the manufacturer’s regular suppliers. Input suppliers... ...Read more »

Foodbank has hit a record high for donations, receiving over 2.3 million kg of food from Woolworths over the past 12 months, thanks to a ‘reverse logistics’ initiative to reroute non-saleable products from the supermarket’s outlets. The initiative brings non-saleable products from 825 metro and country Woolworths locations, by identifying and collecting them at store level, then delivering them back to distribution centres in trucks that would normally return empty. Foodbank, Australia’s... ...Read more »

The response from food companies to the appeal for supplies in the wake of Victoria’s tragic bushfires has been remarkable, according to VicRelief Foodbank – which has begun preparing long-term food aid for those affected by the disaster. “Thank you so much, the response to the bushfires from generous companies, large and small, has been unbelievable,” Mike Cannon, from VicRelief Foodbank told Australian Food News. “We have gratefully accepted actual delivery of more... ...Read more »

IGA’s ongoing Community Chest program will provide $1.5 million dollars in food vouchers to assist in the Victoria Bushfire Disaster Relief efforts. The 1270 IGA stores nationwide, as well as Metcash (IGA retailers primary supplier), will collectively provide the vouchers via IGA’s Community Chest program to the Salvation Army. A further $100,000 has been donated by Ritchies Community Benefits Program. “Every IGA across Australia is an active part of the local community and as a... ...Read more »

VicRelief Foodbank, Victoria’s largest independent emergency relief resource centre, in partnership with some of Australia’s largest food manufacturers, has begun the task of preparing long-term aid support for local communities severely damaged by the disastrous Victorian bushfires. Announcing the establishment of its Victorian Bushfire Recovery Program, Philip Hunt, CEO, of VicRelief Foodbank, said that this was a disaster of such historical and significant proportion that it was vital... ...Read more »

Severe heat and the devastating fires in southern parts of Australia and flood waters in the north have had a significant impact on the supply of fresh food to supermarkets, Australia’s largest supermarket operator has advised. Woolworths General Manager of Fresh Produce, Mr Michael Batycki, said Woolworths supplies of some fruit and vegetables had been affected by the extreme weather conditions experienced by Australian farmers. “With floods in North Queensland along with bushfires... ...Read more »

A portion of the Valentine’s Day sales of more than 1,000 Donut King, Brumby’s Bakery, Michel’s Patisserie and bb’s cafe outlets across Australia will be donated to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.The four retail brands, owned by Retail Food Group (RFG), hope to raise more than $100,000 for the appeal, including a donation from RFG itself. RFG CEO Tony Alford said Donut King, Brumby’s Bakery, Michel’s Patisserie and bb’s cafe franchisees... ...Read more »

Coles will donate this Friday’s (13 Feb) profits from its 750 stores nationally to the Government’s Bushfire Appeal Fund in partnership with the Red Cross, as Australian companies continue to offer support to those affected by the tragedy. Coles Managing Director, Ian McLeod, said the devastating bushfire had touched a number of Coles team members, some of whom have lost loved ones in the fire, and a number who have lost their homes. “Like everyone in the community, we’ve... ...Read more »