Inghams Partners with Meet the Need to Boost Protein for Foodbanks

Farmer-led food charity Meet the Need has formed a significant partnership with Inghams, New Zealand’s largest integrated poultry producer, to increase the availability of high-quality protein for foodbanks and community organisations across the country. This collaboration aims to provide families facing food insecurity with greater access to nutritious food options during a time when demand for support is escalating.

Through this partnership, Inghams chicken will be included in the nationwide food distribution network operated by Meet the Need, alongside staples such as milk and mince. This initiative is designed to ensure that families in need receive balanced and protein-rich food parcels. According to Meet the Need general manager Zellara Holden, the addition of chicken is a vital response to the increasing pressure on foodbanks.

“The demand for food support continues to rise across Aotearoa, and protein is one of the most requested yet hardest to source items for community organisations,” Holden stated. “This partnership with Inghams allows us to significantly increase the amount and variety of quality protein reaching families who need it most. Meet the Need exists to connect quality New Zealand food with communities under pressure, and having chicken alongside milk and beef mince means foodbanks can provide more balanced, nutritious food parcels.”

Inghams chief executive Matthew Easton expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, highlighting its alignment with the company’s commitment to nourishing communities and making a positive impact. “Inghams is delighted to support Meet the Need in their mission to connect quality New Zealand protein with Kiwi families experiencing food insecurity,” Easton said. “Together, we can help ensure no family goes hungry.”

Easton emphasized the importance of quality and well-being in this collaboration, noting that Inghams is the first company to achieve 100 percent SPCA certification for both free-range and barn-raised chicken. “We are proud to support this vital cause and help ensure the protein we produce reaches families who need it most,” he added. “For more than 100 years, Inghams has been bringing people together over great-tasting food. This partnership reflects our values of quality, sustainability, and community care.”

Meet the Need collaborates with farmers and corporate partners to convert donations of cash, milk, mince, and now chicken into nutritious food distributed through accredited food hubs and food banks nationwide. With ongoing cost-of-living pressures impacting households across New Zealand, the charity stresses that partnerships like this one are essential to meeting the growing need for food assistance.

This new initiative not only enhances the variety of food available but also reinforces the commitment of both organizations to support vulnerable communities through access to quality nutrition.