Foodstuffs gives back to New Zealand in so many ways; whether directly through millions of dollars of donations, as an employer of more than 30,000 New Zealanders, as a partner to thousands of businesses, or as kaitiaki or guardian of our environment.
Foodstuffs New Zealand has issued an update on the many sustainability, people and business initiatives which have been completed or are still underway this year. The business’ social responsibility programme is wide-reaching and aims to fulfil the Co-operative’s responsibilities to their teams, the wider New Zealand community and environment.
Steve Anderson, CEO Foodstuffs South Island said, “It’s not enough for us to quietly go about our business, doing what we do every day to improve the lives of our team and customers. We need to be held to account for the decisions we make in every aspect of our operations to ensure we continue to improve. This Snapshot summarises many of the key projects we have undertaken and for which we have delivered great outcomes. In addition, it outlines some new priorities.”
“We set out to help New Zealanders get more out of life – whether that’s providing a great career opportunity to more than 30,000 employees, sourcing fantastic products from thousands of Kiwi suppliers or helping organisations like the Starship Foundation, Eat My Lunch and Kiwi Harvest support New Zealanders in need. Our responsibility doesn’t stop there. We’ve done some pretty awesome things to reduce our environmental footprint – including kicking off the discussion to ban single-use plastic bags, removing plastic microbeads and cotton buds, putting 28 electric delivery vehicles on the road nationwide and installing 50 electric vehicle fast-chargers at our stores," added Chris Quin, CEO Foodstuffs North Island.
The Foodstuffs co-operative’s future is inherently interwoven into the fabric of New Zealand. Their brands such as Four Square, PAK'nSAVE and New World, have been serving communities for 95 years. They are ‘local’ in every sense of the word.
“Meeting customers’ needs both now and in the future is key. We are thankful for their support for our 100 per cent owned and operated New Zealand company. We are at the heart of every community and we acknowledge the role we play in making things better. We couldn’t achieve what we do, every day, without the help of our 30,000 team members and partners. This Snapshot gives our team and stakeholders a view of what matters to us and reflects the true spirit of cooperation within the co-operative," said Anderson.
