Gone Good started in Auckland and has spread round the country. with Dunedin being the latest city to embrace the food rescue service.
Gone Good allows New Zealanders to buy unsold food for up to one-third of the retail price — tackling food waste and helping Kiwis stretch their dollars further.
The service helps local eateries reduce daily food waste, saving them time and money, and gives them another chance to make money off what would otherwise be sent to landfill, while reaching new customers.
This was especially true for niche eateries that cater to specific diets, such as gluten, dairy-free and vegan food, which are typically more expensive to produce and purchase.
So far, 20 eateries have signed with Gone Good in Dunedin.
The Gone Good model is simple: businesses list their unsold food near the end of the day and customers purchase a mystery bag full of assorted goods through the Gone Good app, picking it up directly from the store.
Dunedin cafe Modaks Espresso specialises in gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free meals, and owner Mariska Munro Du Preez said Gone Good had helped expand its customer base.
‘‘Half the challenge of running a specialty cafe with a niche menu is actually getting people into your store,’’ Ms Du Preez said.
‘‘Gone Good not only exposes our cafe to new customers, but brings them straight to our door.’’
Dunedin had a sizable community that needed dietary options, she said. As dietary products were typically more expensive to produce, it could also be less affordable for customers to purchase.
When Ms Du Preez and her husband first took over Modaks, minimising food waste was a top priority for the couple.
‘‘It’s easy to take for granted how lucky we are to have nutritious food available to us when so many in the world don’t,’’ she said.
‘‘We purposely bake in smaller batches, but at the end of the day it’s impossible to predict exactly how much product we’ll sell in a day, so leftover food is somewhat inevitable.
‘‘But by using Gone Good, we’re able to work with customers to reduce the chances of sending perishable products, like scones and muffins, to the bin.’’
