Nothing left to waste for Stock Box

The first ‘Stock Box for Convenience’ was delivered to more than 700 registered Stock Box members in late November 2014 and included samples from companies such as Bayer, Slim Nation, Go Natural and SPC Ardmona.
Stock Box provides manufacturers with the opportunity to place product samples directly into the hands of retailers and requires a massive logistical operation to pick and pack the boxes prior to distribution.
According to Stock Box managing director Craig Matthews, “When we set-up Stock Box, we knew that unless our partners were providing product in exact quantities, we would have left over product… So, after the packing process was complete, a question would remain: what to do with any surplus food products”.
According to Mr Matthews the Stock Box team “did not want food to go to waste, and so we needed a solution”. After examining various options, Stock Box elected to donate surplus product to OzHarvest. “OzHarvest was really a no brainer for us”, Mr Matthews said.
The partnership with OzHarvest – Australia’s first perishable food rescue organization – ensures that any surplus food items from the pick, pack and delivery process do not go to waste and are instead distributed to those in need.
OzHarvest collects quality excess food from commercial outlets and delivers it, direct and free of charge, to 600 charities providing much needed assistance to vulnerable men, women and children across the countries capital cities and regional communities.
Mr Matthews points out that “OzHarvest deal with the smaller but equally important surplus food items that are part of many small businesses, and have a program to raise awareness of food rescue in not only the major capital cities, but also in regional communities via their REAP program, which is equally important to us”.

Above: Oz Harvest’s (Andrew Miller, Logistics Coordinator) (left) and Craig Matthews of Stock Box (right).
OzHarvest provided the impetus behind the change in Australian legislation in 2005 to allow surplus food to be donated to charitable organisations without fear of liability. To date, OzHarvest has rescued 10 million kilos of good quality surplus food from ending up in landfill and delivered more than 30 million meals to people in need across the nation.
OzHarvest is a proud partner of the United Nations Environment Programme ensuring that they spread the message of food waste reduction, food security and sustainability around the globe.
For more information on how you can join Stock Box go to www.mystockbox.com.au
For more information on OzHarvest go to www.ozharvest.org or call 1800 108 006