Melbourne Food Rescue Network launches at the Market
A new initiative at the Queen Victoria Market is helping rescue surplus food and redirect it to people who need it most.
In partnership with the City of Melbourne, the Victorian Government, STREAT, SecondBite and local food relief providers, fruit and vegetable traders at the market are now able to donate excess fresh food through the newly launched Melbourne Food Rescue Network – the first dedicated food rescue hub of its kind in the city.
The initiative brings together partners from across Melbourne to help tackle food insecurity and food waste.
The Melbourne Food Rescue Network is another step forward in the Queen Victoria Market and City of Melbourne’s ongoing sustainability efforts. By rescuing quality surplus food and redirecting it into the community, the initiative makes sure good food is shared, not wasted.
Good food where it’s needed most
According to the City of Melbourne’s Social Indicator Survey, an estimated 47% of people in the municipality report experiencing some level of food insecurity, driven by factors including rising cost-of-living pressures, extreme weather events and global supply issues.
At the same time, Queen Victoria Market – the largest open‑air market in the southern hemisphere and the City of Melbourne’s biggest source of fresh produce – generates significant volumes of food and organic waste each year. The Melbourne Food Rescue Network has been established to help redirect edible surplus food into the hands of local food relief providers.
How the Melbourne Food Rescue Network works
Located under Shed A at Queen Victoria Market, the Melbourne Food Rescue Network Hub acts as a central collection point for edible surplus fruit and vegetables donated by market traders.
Social enterprise STREAT collects, sorts and grades the donated surplus food from traders and stores it in the hub’s cool room for collection by SecondBite, who then transports the recued food to local food relief providers to share with our community.
Since the initiative began in April, it’s already rescued more than 700kg of fresh produce.
Accessing food support
The City of Melbourne works closely with local food relief providers and organisations to support people experiencing hardship and food insecurity.
The City of Melbourne’s Community Food Guide and Map have been created to support community members to access information about free and low-cost community food programs, food relief services and resources within the City of Melbourne and surrounding suburbs.
You can pick up a copy of the Guide at local City of Melbourne libraries and neighbourhood centres, or you can access the Guide and Map online.
