14 July 2025

Protecting Precious Kai: reducing food waste at breakfast club.

We believe kai (food) is more than just nourishment—it’s a precious taonga (treasure) that connects us to the land, to each other, and to the values of care and sustainability.

Food waste is a significant global issue. By reducing waste in our breakfast clubs, we can play a small but important role in protecting Papatūānuku (Mother Earth) and promoting sustainability.

KickStart Breakfast offer school communities a meaningful way to show manaakitanga (care and hospitality) by coming together to share kai, while also fostering kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the earth) through thoughtful practices that prioritise connection and care, while minimising food waste.

Here are some tips tailored to help reduce food waste at your breakfast club:

Organise kai for easy access

In busy breakfast clubs, organisation is key to minimising waste. Simple storage strategies can make a big difference.

Rotate older items to the front: when new supplies arrive, always move older products to the front of shelves or fridges so they’re used first.
Label best-before dates clearly: Use a permanent marker to write best-before dates in larger lettering on packaging and face them outward. This makes it easy for volunteers or staff to spot items that need to be used soon.
Create a “use-it-first” section: When checking your stored product ahead of each termly update, dedicate a space for any items nearing their best-before date to ensure they’re prioritised. Love Food Hate Waste have some great ‘Eat Me First’ Resouces. Check them out here

Let the KickStart Breakfast team know if you have any short-dated product that you cannot use in time - we'll help you come up with a plan to ensure nothing is wasted!

Serve smaller portions first

Breakfast clubs often serve many tamariki (kids) at once, and it’s important to balance their bodily autonomy with reducing waste.

Consider serving size: If you pre-pour breakfast servings, consider having options available for smaller appetites to choose from. Tamariki can always come back for seconds if they’re still hungry.
Encourage mindful eating: Help tamariki listen to their bodies—are they full, or do they need a little more? This approach respects their needs while minimising uneaten food.

Empower tamariki as sustainability champions

Breakfast clubs are a great opportunity to teach tamariki about the value of kai and the importance of sustainability.

- Make it fun and interactive: Nurture the next generation of sustainability champions in your kura by involving tamariki in routines to protect kai. - Student leaders can help implement proactive routines to reduce the risk of any food waste, such as using our KickStart Breakfast tally tool each term.

This provides a regular opportunity to check stock levels, product dates, and usage, take action to adjust your next product order if needed, and most importantly, make a plan to use anything short-dated ASAP!

- Share the story of kai: Talk about where food comes from, how it’s grown, and why it’s important to protect it.

Saving what we can, using what we can’t

Even with the best efforts, a little food waste may be inevitable. Here are some ways to think about reducing our impact.

- Use scraps wisely: Composting is a great way to reduce landfill waste and teach tamariki about caring for Papatūānuku. If your school doesn’t already have one, consider starting a composting system or connecting with someone in the school community who does. It’s a hands-on way for tamariki to learn about sustainability.

- Put the call out for surplus fruit: If your school is in a region that grows fruit, when the season arrives, put a call out to your wider school community, encouraging those with surplus fruit on their trees to donate it to your breakfast club. This can provide variety to your breakfast club and is a powerful step in championing food waste reduction in the wider community.

Some schools like to use this opportunity to create jams and preserved fruit, allowing them to enjoy their locally grown produce all year round!

We’d love to grow this list – if your school has ideas on how to reduce food waste at your breakfast club we’d love to hear them! Email our team at kickstart.breakfast@fonterra.com