Peters Ice Cream has partnered with Australian fresh produce company, Montague, to create Rescue Pops – Plums Up, a frozen fruit sorbet stick made from rescued and repurposed Montague plums that were destined for landfill.
Rescue Pops – Plums Up sorbet sticks are naturally gluten-free, plant-based with no artificial colours or flavours and contain only 56 calories per serving.
Woolworths supermarkets have partnered with Peters and Montague to bring Rescue Pops – Plums Up to market, and will be exclusively ranging this product nationally from October in an eight-pack.
In Australia, 7.6 million tonnes of food waste ends up in landfill each year, equalling about 312 kilos per person. Much of this waste is perfectly edible but rejected due to minor blemishes and imperfections.
Stone fruits like plums are one of the most common fruits to end up in landfill as they are prone to bruising, are highly perishable and have limited opportunities for juicing or repurposing.
According to Peters Ice Cream country head, Emma-Jane Collins, it is important for Australia’s most prominent food brands to highlight and address the issue of food waste.
“Addressing the food waste problem in Australia is essential for environmental sustainability and something we are passionate about at Peters Ice Cream.
“By partnering with a sustainable stone fruit grower like Montague, we’re actively showing how brands with aligned values can work together to minimise waste in a creative, delicious way,” Collins said.
According to Scott Montague, managing director of Montague, the partnership with Peters Ice Cream connected two companies with similar commitments to long-term sustainability and a keen environmental focus.
“Aligning with Peters is an exceptional opportunity for us to lead by example as we embed sustainability into every aspect of our operations,” he said.
Peters Ice Cream will also assist in closing the loop on food waste by funding 200,000 meals for Australians in need through Foodbank.
“This initiative not only helps us reduce Australia’s food waste – saving perfectly good fruit from ending up in landfill – it will also enable us to add additional strength to our alliance with Foodbank by donating much-needed meals for many Aussies in need,” Collins added.