OzHarvest opens in Sydney’s east; take what you need, pay only if you can

A customer walks through the fruits and vegetables section at a supermarket in Sydney April 27, 2011. Reuters/Daniel Munoz

OzHarvest opens its minimart at Kensington in Sydney’s east with a unique take. Here, shoppers can get what they need and pay whatever they can.

Food and basic essentials that are being offered are donated by major supermarkets, other big businesses and even airlines. OzHarvest’s founder and chief executive Ronni Kahn assured that all the items are “within date.”

News.com.au shares that the shop displays croissants, pastries and sourdough bread. The loaves are reportedly baked fresh at the Bread and Butter Project, an initiative that trains refugees in artisan bread making. There are onions, potatoes, eggplants, ginger and pumpkins too.

Several kinds of fruits like pears, mandarins, apples, bananas, lemons, limes and nuts are also displayed. Canned and dry goods, as well as pies and sausage rolls are also available here. Kahn assured that the items are “perfectly good, healthy and fabulous.”

A volunteer sales assistant said items being offered in the market vary, depending on what has been donated. Some major brands that contribute to OzHarvest’s product range include Special K, Vegemite, Sensodyne toothpaste, Dove, Vittoria coffee, Weetbix, Lush Cosmetics and Arnotts Shapes. For some reasons, items are pulled off from these brands’ shelves and were not put for sale. “And rather than letting it go to waste, they give it to OzHarvest,” Kahn said.

OzHarvest has been distributing donated items from donours to people in need. The opening of its minimart marks the first time that it makes donated goods available for purchase for people who can afford to pay.

Shopping at OzHarvest is also an opportunity for consumers to help those who cannot afford to buy food. Kahn said every dollar that the minimart makes through its "take what you need, give if you can" approach allows them to provide two more meals to people in need. Helga, a volunteer at OzHarvest, said working at the minimart was "incredibly rewarding.”

Per the United Nations, almost one third of food, or an estimated 1.3 billion tonnes, around the world is wasted. Kahn said the OzHarvest only "surplus" food that would otherwise be thrown out.

But for those in need, the OzHarvest minimart means a lot more. Sylvia, who takes care of her two seriously sick adult children, said it means she can feed her children tonight. "It's hard when you need to be there for someone who needs you, but what else should you do?" she told Fairfax Media.