Matt Jozwiak, founder of Rethink Food NYC, is a longtime expert in the field of food. Jozwiak claims that being in the food industry is what brought him out of poverty; beginning as a dishwasher in Kansas and working his way up to chef in New York City, he has seen the ins and outs of the restaurant business throughout his life in the business.
When he moved to New York in 2015 to work as a chef at Eleven Madison Park, Jozwiak began a side project aimed to educate the youth about nutrition when he realized that access to a healthy diet was extremely challenging for many. Humbled by the realization, he was inspired to take action in bridging the gap between food waste and food insecurity. In October of 2017, Jozwiak launched Rethink Food NYC, a non-profit organization that saves excess food from partnered grocery stores and food establishments to cook and serve low or zero-cost meals to those experiencing food insecurity. Food insecurity, which is often rooted in poverty, is experienced when one does not have reliable or consistent access to nutritious or quality food.
Many communities that fall into this sector rely on sustaining themselves through low-cost fast food meals. The problem with fast food, according to Jozwiak, is that it is designed to serve those who work around the clock or do not geographically/financially have access to fresh groceries. Though fast food is often convenient and cost effective, consuming large amounts of it can lead to serious health detriments like heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. What makes Rethink Food unique amongst other anti-food waste non-profits is their employment of nutritionists to ensure every meal the non-profit produces and distributes is full of necessary nutrition.
On average, the non-profit provides food insecure communities with over 7,000 meals per week. Since its start in 2015, Rethink Food has prepared more than 6.9 million meals and has rescued 1,200,000 lbs of food. They have also invested more than $29.6 million in local food establishments and communities.
Food waste, produced individually or through food establishments, is a multifaceted issue challenging both human food security and the environment. By tackling the issue of food waste produced by grocery stores and restaurants, Jozwiak is helping to reduce greenhouse gas production and community wide food insecurity. Rethink Food is an essential non-profit during the current global climate crisis and rapidly increasing rates of malnutrition in our country.
Support Rethink Food NYC: https://www.rethinkfood.org
