Foodbank Australia
Customer Success Stories

Foodbank Australia

August 17, 2021

How Foodbank Australia, their supply partners, and iFoodDS partnered to achieve a record year in 2020.

Executive Summary

Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organization, providing food and groceries to over 2,600 charities and 2,500 schools. Foodbank works with the entire Australian food and grocery industry including farmers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and retailers. Donations include stock that is out of specification, close to expiry or excess to requirements.

“Last year (2020), Foodbank made history by sourcing 48.8 million kilograms of food and groceries. In a year when food relief has never been needed more, the food donated by suppliers was enough to provide over 241,000 meals a day. We sourced this food with thanks to the generosity and tireless support of the Australian food and grocery industry, as well as critically important funding from the Federal Government, corporate Australia and so many wonderful individuals.”

Brianna Casey Foodbank Australia CEO– Brianna Casey, CEO Foodbank Australia

Challenges

  • Having timely engagement with donors: It is critical that our supply partners are able to quickly identify food that meets the donation criteria, notify Foodbank, and have the food available for pickup right away.

  • Being able to efficiently manage a consistently large volume of food and groceries coming in to ensure we are able to get more fresh food on the table when Aussies need it most.

  • Having the right technology solution available that enables all of this work to happen quickly and efficiently has greatly contributed to simplifying the donation process and making it accessible to more than 400 potential supply partners and donors, providing the supplier with a viable alternative option to donate on a case-by-case basis.

How iFoodDS Helped

A TEAM EFFORT: How iFoodDS supported Foodbank efforts and worked with their donors to make it happen

The iFoodDS/HarvestMark disposition feature has simplified the donation process to the point that they are seeing a decrease in food going to waste and an increase in the number of donations coming in via the disposition feature, helping to get more perfectly good Aussie produce out to Aussies who need it now more than ever. They are receiving produce donations much earlier in their shelf life, meaning they have more time to get it to its destination, including regional areas, and growers can avoid the additional costs of dumping product or picking it back up. 

“No grower wants to see their hard work and beautiful produce go to waste or sit in limbo. The ‘donate to Foodbank’ feature in the iFoodDS/ HarvestMark software gives their suppliers the ability to make a timely decision on a case-by-case basis which results in fresher produce being rescued and immediately directed to those who would otherwise go without.”

– Tayla Field, National Program Manager, Agriculture, Foodbank Australia

Supplier Partner: A&G LAMATTINA & SONS

Foodbank supplier A&G Lamattina & Sons has been able to reduce transportation costs due to a decrease in volume of returned or dumped stock since working with iFoodDS/HarvestMark. Their process for transferring crates and pallets to Foodbank is now more efficient as they spend considerably less time following up and reconciling with outside parties. Their new donation management process gives them the ability to more smoothly handle rejected produce that they previously had to dump, but can now donate to Foodbank and help those in need. 

A&G Lamattina & Sons was established in 1955, and has been supplying fresh, top quality Australian-grown produce to fruit and veggie shops and supermarkets since then. 

“The iFoodDS/HarvestMark solution is very well-liked by all stakeholders – retailers, growers and local Foodbanks alike – for its simplicity, effectiveness and impact. It has helped reduce unnecessary waste in terms of transport costs and environmental impact, food and product sent to landfill. It has not only greatly impacted our business in a positive way but has also benefited the environment and our local community. “

– Michael Davidson, General Manager, National Supply Chain, Foodbank Australia

Supplier Partner: Zerella Fresh

Foodbank supplier Zerella Fresh has been able to reduce their time per rejection by 10 minutes since using the iFoodDS/HarvestMark solution. They spend less time on administrative work like sending emails, following up with people for information, and dealing with time-wasting confusion. Zerella Fresh now has a more streamlined case and pallet transfer process, giving them greater visibility into their [pallet and case] location and significantly reducing time spent searching for those items.

The iFoodDS/HarvestMark software has helped give credibility that they are making the right business decisions that benefit the greater good. “When produce we spent 6 months growing is rejected, it can have a negative impact on our internal mindset. Now we can be proud that we are helping to reduce waste, and transportation costs and environmental impact, and are finding a good home for our produce with families in need across Australia.”

Zerella Fresh is a family-owned business, established in 1936, with the goal of growing and supplying potatoes, onions, and carrots to hardworking Australian families every day of the year. 

Foodbank Australia couldn’t have achieved a record year in 2020, sourcing enough food and groceries to supply more than 241,000 meals a day, without:

  • The generosity and tireless support of the Australian food and grocery industry.
  • Woolworths and Aldi providing the iFoodDS/HarvestMark Disposition feature option to their supply partners.
  • The critically important funding we received from the Federal Government, corporate Australia and so many wonderful individuals across the country.

Foodbank success story comments provided by:

​Brianna Casey​

CEO​

Foodbank Australia​

Michael Davidson​

General Manager, National Supply Chain​

Foodbank Australia​

Tayla Field​

National Program Manager Agriculture​

Foodbank Australia​​

Renee Pye​

Marketing Manager​

Zerella Fresh​​​

Canice Guinane​

Production & Dispatch Manager​

A&G Lamattina & Sons​

To learn more about Foodbank’s work, please visit: https://www.foodbank.org.au/?state=au

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