Frequently Asked Questions

'Local' means Your Food Collective goodies have been grown and produced close to where we live. In fact, on average our fresh produce range is sourced no further than 200km from your front door. This means it is grown by your friends and neighbours, you’re supporting your local farmers and you are getting the freshest produce possible. Our ónline product 'stickers' indicate the distance products have come from.

We are Australia's most sustainable grocery offering. 30% of a household’s carbon footprint comes from food - shopping at Your Food Collective reduces your food miles by 90%. Plus, 80% of our products are rated ‘Good’ or better for sustainability. We are different because we’ve put hours of research into everything we sell to make it possible for everyone to eat sustainably. We are proudly carbon-neutral, too. We’re passionate about connecting our customers with local producers. To that end, we strive for transparency and authenticity in every aspect of our business. We regularly visit our producers so we know exactly how and where your food is coming from. Once your order lands with us, our producers pick those items bring to your local hub. At the hub we assemble your order into one handy parcel, ready for you to collect or delivered right to your door. We aim to do everything we can to make choosing local easy for you!!

Queues, crowds, finding a car-park, all that plastic packaging....Ahhh, there are so many reasons we reckon shopping with us beats shopping at a supermarket! The best reason of all is that when you shop with us, more of your dollar gets into the pockets of our local farmers - in fact, up to three time more!!

We connect you with local producers. You can get to know them and learn how they do what they do. Also, sourcing produce locally means your food hasn’t travelled half the country to reach your plate. With Your Food Collective your produce is picked to order - there's no sitting around in a warehouse loading dock for weeks. Instead, YFC produce is in the ground until you order it. Once picked, it makes a short voyage to our warehouse in Tighes Hill, creating far less greenhouse gas emissions than produce shipped from far corners of the country, or in some cases, the world. Quite simply, local fresh food lasts longer, tastes better and keeps your dollars in the community.

Around 95 % of our fresh produce comes from within 250km of your front door. We love our producers and love to visit their farms. Best of all, nurturing supplier relationships and seeing how they grow, what they grow and where they grow helps us appreciate why our produce tastes so darn delicious!! If you'd like visit and of our producers, please reach at hello@yourfoodcollective.com and we can put you in touch.

For some staples and where there is seasonal abundance we will go outside this radius to source produce directly from growers who meet our sourcing criteria based on growing practices. This means we're helping reduce food waste, further build local food security and support farmers to transition to regenerative growing practices. All of our fresh produce is Australian grown. Follow our product key and producer descriptions for details on where each product is grown, how it is grown and who it is grown by.

Quite simply, if it’s a product is not ready to harvest, we are not able to supply it. All of the produce we offer is grown locally and generally picked the day before your order is packed. When you choose Your Food Collective, you get to eat with the seasons, just as nature intended. Eating what's in season means your food tastes oh-so delicious because it's at its natural peak and picked when it’s just right. This also ensures an ever-changing variety of delicious produce throughout the year - keeping you on your toes in the kitchen!

Sustainable is our middle name... Well, we'd like it to be! But really, in everything we do - from packing orders to cleaning the staff room - we aim to do things as sustainably as possible. We are tracking towards being completely plastic free, by avoiding plastics wherever we can, and reusing any necessary packaging. Through sourcing our products locally by working with small and medium sized farmers, we contribute to a lowering of greenhouse gases.

We favour suppliers who share our passion and values around sustainability, and work together to follow appropriate sustainable practices such as reusing boxes, and returning glass bottles.

Most of our fruit and veg is packed 'nude'. If that's not feasible, produce is wrapped in paper bags. We want to reduce plastic use and are always looking for better alternatives. We're hoping one day it's possible to eliminate plastic in our business altogether!

Our suppliers all grow with Organic principles. This means keeping pesticides and fertilisers to a minimum and where possible making sure that they derive from plants or animals. This holistic approach to pest management ensures that minimum damage is caused to the environment in the growing process.

You can read about our sustainability philosophy in more detail here and our sourcing policy here

Going plastic free is super important to us. While we are tracking towards being completely plastic free - by avoiding plastics wherever we can, and reusing any necessary packaging - there are some fragile products, such as cherry tomatoes and berries, which are currently packaged in plastic punnets to make sure they don't get damaged on the way to your place. Due to health regulations meat is packed in plastic.

Rest assured, once there is a feasible way to get these products to you in a more sustainable manner we will be onto it! To avoid plastics altogether in your YFC shop, select the 'Plastic Free' option under our 'Lifestyle' tab located top right on the home page.

We currently home deliver on Wednesday and Fridays (excluding public holidays). We unfortunately no longer offer collection.  

To check delivery availability for your suburb on the website-  click on 'Next Order Slot' in the top right corner, follow the prompts to see when we can next deliver to you.

For delivery on Wednesday orders close at 8am on Tuesday and for Friday delivery orders close 8am on Thursday. 

Of course, you can still place an order but you’ll need to sit tight and wait for the next available collection or delivery day, which you can check by clicking on 'Next Delivery Slot' at the top-right corner of the website.

Yes $65 minimum spend for home delivery 

You can’t change an order once it’s been placed. But...if you want to add more items just place a separate order and we’ll combine them for you! Make sure you get your order in before the order deadline. See here for your deadlines.

We understand that 'life' happens and unforeseen circumstances may mean you need to cancel an order. Email us as soon as you can at hello@yourfoodcollective.com to request a cancellation. If we hear from you 24 hours or more prior to expected delivery cancellation is possible. If it is less than this time frame, it may mean our producers are already gathering your items and we will not be able to action a cancel.

Yes, and your future self will thank you for it! You can use our 'Set & Forget' subscription feature to create a regular order. See our 'Set & Forget' section for instructions on how to set it up.

There are two reasons for this; either we haven’t yet been able to source this product in our local area or the product is not in season.

As all of our produce is grown locally, we are only able to supply food which is in season. If it’s not ready to harvest, we are not able to supply it. This ensures an ever changing variety of delicious produce year-round, keeping things interesting.

Yes, choosing a set Food Box is a great way to go! You can see our current selection of set Food Boxes here..

Once you place your order, you will automatically receive an order receipt via email.

If your product is out of stock, we will do our best to find a suitable and comparable substitute. If there is no suitable substitute available we will, of course, refund the item.

For Newcastle and Lake Macquarie customers, our current delivery window is between 1pm - 8pm, Wednesday and Friday. Our Maitland friends will get deliveries on Wednesday between 1pm - 8pm. You will get a text message reminder the night before your order is delivered. In addition, you'll get a text when your order has been delivered.

We deliver across Newcastle, Maitland and Lake Macquarie. Check here for current delivery postcodes. If we don't deliver to your suburb right now, do get in touch - nothing is impossible!

Your local hub collection point information can be found here.

No, your box will always be ready at the same time each week. See here for your local hub info.

You can leave specific delivery instructions in the notes section of your order, if necessary. Otherwise, and generally speaking, your order will be placed at your front door.

Good news - there's no need to be home to receive your order. Rest assured we use recyclable ice packs and an amazing wool pack product to keep your cold items cold for ages!

Unfortunately, we cannot accept responsibility for any stolen items after we have delivered. Compensation will be provided at our discretion, so please ensure your goodies are going to be safe if you won't be home.

Items which require cold storage are kept chilled at our hub until collection or delivery. For home delivery, we use recyclable ice packs and an amazing wool pack product to keep your cold items snug and cold for ages!

Delivery is free for orders over $150. For orders under $150, our flat fee is $8.95. You can also collect your order from your local hub for free. Your local hub collection point information can be found here.

If you live in an apartment, please leave delivery instructions in the 'notes' section so we know where to find you (see below). It's even better if you're home to accept your delivery. If you're not home we will leave it in the foyer (or your noted location) for you to collect when you arrive home.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept responsibility for stolen items. Compensation will be given at our discretion. Please ensure your delivery can be left in a safe place.

Free Delivery you say... well it doesn't really exist...

It has to be paid for somewhere and it's usually the farmers that get squeezed or it's baked into the price you pay. At Your Food Collective we're fully transparent about our costs. We charge a delivery fee for the delivery service which means our producers are still getting 70% - 80% of the dollar, which it up to three times more than they would get through major supermarket chains. It is our mission to make local as easy as possible and as fair as possible.

Yes! As a company tracking towards zero waste we welcome your box, woolpack insulation and ice gel packs back with welcome arms…. OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration... Simply return them to your local Hub next time you pick up, or for our delivery customers - please leave out for our delivery driver.

Please make sure that boxes etc are in good condition and stored in a clean dry area until return or collection. If possible, please break the boxes down into a flat-pack for us. If your boxes cannot be reused by fellow customers, please put them in your home recycling bin.

A 'Set and Forget' order is a subscription order created by you and scheduled for home delivery (or collection) each week or fortnight. (You choose the frequency). This is the perfect way to get all your favourite and most-eaten items (e.g., milk, bread, eggs) to your door on the regular and on autopilot! Once your order is set up you will receive an email prompting you to update your order before it is processed. This will allow you to add or remove products from your order - if you need to.

Creating a recurring 'Set and Forget' subscription is super easy. Simply log in and follow the steps below:

Create your delicious order and then proceed to the checkout. This is where you need to do the following:

Press "Checkout" to view your subscription details and place your order:

Easy, huh?

You sure can! If you would like to add items to your 'Set and Forget' order, simply log in and follow the steps below:

Find item you would like to add to your subscription and click on the product image:

This will take you to the product information page. Here you can add the additional item(s) to your “Set and Forget” order by clicking on the 'Add to existing subscription' button on the product page:

And that's it! 

Just remember to updateyour order before your 'Set and Forget' order is processed for that week. Don't stress - we will send an email to remind you.

Yes, if you would like to order additional items to go with your 'Set and Forget' on a one-off basis, log in, then find the product you would like to add. Next click the product image to see the individual product page. Here you will be able to select "Add to my existing subscription". You do not need to checkout again - it's added. Remember to delete the product from your next Set and Forget order if it's a one-off addition.

As you checkout, you will see a tick box for you to indicate if you are happy for us to make a substitution (or not) for any items out of stock.

In the instance that your chosen product is out of stock, we will do our best to find a suitable substitute. If there is no suitable substitute available, or you have chosen not to receive a substitute, we will refund you for the item.

All 'Set and Forget' orders are processed at least 2 days before your nominated delivery/collection day. You will receive an email reminding you to make any changes if needed, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Going away for a few weeks? No worries, the process is easy.

Click into "My Account" and log in:

Click into "Manage Subscription":

Click here to pause your subscription:

And that's everything! We hope you have a wonderful break and we can't wait to prepare your delicious orders once you're back!

Absolutely, simply follow the steps below:

Click into "My Account" and log in:

Click into "Manage Subscription":

Click here to remove the product from your subscription:

Please remember to save these changes!

You can skip a 'Set and Forget' order at any time before the processing date. We will send you a reminder for when this is, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Here are the steps for skipping a 'Set and Forget' order:

Click into "My Account" and log in:

Click into "Manage Subscription":

Click here to skip the order you wish to cancel:

Your subscription will automatically recommence for the next order that follows the one you have skipped.

Yes, once you have decided what you'd like to buy, you can checkout online.

As a small business, we require payment upfront in order to place your orders with our producers.

If you believe you have received an item that is sub-standard, please do not hesitate to contact us at hello@yourfoodcollective.com.au We will review the issue as soon as possible.

We currently accept:

If you have forgotten your password, don’t panic! When you go to log in, click on ‘Forgot your password?’ which will allow you to reset it.

If you spot something that isn’t working on our website, please email us at hello@yourfoodcollection.com.au and we'll do our best to fix it.

Yes please - we'd love to hear your feedback! Good, bad or even ugly, your comments are very welcome. We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and continually seeking ways to improve all aspects of our business. Please email us at hello@yourfoodcollection.com.au

No you don't need to set up an account to shop with Your Food Collective. We want to make it as easy as possible for you!

However, an account can be handy - you'll be able to see your past purchases and modify any "Set and Forget" orders.

If you can't log into your account chances are it's one of two things, which can be sorted out easily:

1. 1. You don't have an account. Simply create one with your email address and password. When you have an account, all previous orders with that email address will be linked to it, making order tracking easy!

2. 2. You have forgotten your password: Follow the prompts on the log in page to re-set your password.

No, subscription to our amazing newsletter and creating an account to shop with us are two different things..

1. Make sure you sign up to the newsletter for amazing seasonal offers, recipes, farm stories and zero-waste life hacks.

2. Follow this link to create an account.

Please note, you do not need an account to shop with Your Food Collective. However if you want to track past purchases and modify your "Set and Forget" orders then you will need an account.

Yes! As a company tracking towards zero waste we welcome your box, wool pack liner and ice packs back with welcome arms…. OK, that’s a bit of an exaggeration... Simply return them to your local Hub next time you pick up, or for our delivery customers - please leave them out them for our delivery driver. Please make sure that boxes are in good condition and stored in a clean dry area until return or collection. If your boxes cannot be reused by fellow customers, please put them in your home recycling bin.

Yes please! We happily reuse both.

Some of our offerings are certified organic. This will always be made clear in the product description, and you can use the‘Organic’ heading on our website homepage to search specifically for certified organic products.

What’s most important to us, is that our entire product range is local and sustainably grown. While a lot of our producers adhere to the organic growing principles ofHealth,Ecology,Fairness andCare - not all are ‘Certified Organic’.

We are extremely picky about which producers we choose to work with. They must grow in a sustainable manner and ensure they maintain a healthy balance on their land, using natural fertilisers wherever possible. Caring for both the health of the planet and our customers is our top priority and driving passion. for me detail, head to our sourcing criteria.

Most of our farmers grow by Organic Principles, but not all!

The four principles of growing organically are: Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care. Whilst not all of our growers are certified Organic, they all grow by Organic principles in a sustainable way to enhance the health of soil, animals, humans and plants.

Each of our farmers runs their farms in a sustainable manner and ensures they maintain a healthy balance on their land, using natural fertilisers wherever possible. At Your Food Collective this is really important to us, we want to look after the health of our planet and our customers alike. You'll find further details in our sourcing criteria.

Do not fret, your honey is still good.

If your honey has crystallised, don't worry, this is totally normal for pure unadulterated honey.

Processed honey can look clear and lovely on your shelf for a long time, this has been heated up and altered for the consumer market.

Naturally Australian honey produced from native and exotic floral species is composed as follows:

1. Fructose 44%
2. Glucose 35%
3. Moisture 17%
4. Sucrose 3%
5. Other less than 1%

This means Australian honey is made out of over 80% sugar, which is a lot of sugar in very little water, and that make the solution unstable, but also means it will not spoil as the water content is not high enough to start the fermentation process.

Glucose being less soluble than fructose is the crystallisation 'starter' but other factors such as pollen or propolis in the honey as well as cooler temperatures can help speed up the process.

So in conclusion, honey that crystallises is good for you and you can still enjoy it. Some people actually like it as it's not so messy, but if you prefer it runny you can simply place the jar in some warm water to bring it back to its liquid state. You may need to repeat this a couple of time but please don't put it in the microwave as this will destroy all of the goodness in the honey.

As Dutch Carrots have so much greenery still attached, some of the moisture gets drawn out of the carrot, potentially leading to a wee bit of bendy-ness.

The trade-off to using not using plastic in our packaging is that produce is prone to losing moisture faster than it would if wrapped in a plastic bag.

Your best bet is to cut off the green tops and wrap your carrots in a damp tea towel. That'll help them stay fresh and delicious.

We suggest that you wrap your produce in a damp tea towel in the fridge. That way you'll see your herbs and veggies staying fresh and delicious for much longer.

Pasture raised animals receive a significant portion of their nutrition from organically managed pasture and stored dried forages. Pasture raised animals may receive supplemental organic grains, both during the grazing season and into winter months. These animals also get to enjoy the joys of roaming free in nature.

Yes! We're happy to say that both our Hunter Natural beef sausages and Merriefield Farm pork sausages are gluten-free.

They can be! To choose your preferred grind, click on the coffee bean product you'd like and choose from 7 different grind instructions. We'll have the crew cut them especially for you to make your perfect brew.

Yes! Although your produce has been washed by our farmers, it is important to remove any surface bacteria before you consume your food. Wash with water or or a mix of water and white vinegar. Root veggies like spuds and sweet potatoes might need a light scrub prior to prep and cooking.

Your bananas are picked by Wes and Mel at Ocean View Produce, and sometimes our bunches arrive a little on the green side.

Rest assured they will ripen in a few days, and when they do, they are super sweet! If you want to speed up the process, try popping them in a paper bag with an already ripe banana or apple. This will increase the amount of ethylene gas circulating around the green fruit.

We think it's better that your bananas arrive a little bit greener so they ripen up at home, rather than on their way there!

Your meat is prepared on the day you receive it - you can't get fresher than that! To ensure your meat lasts as long as possible once you get it home, make sure your fridge temperature is set at 5°C or below. It's essential to segregate different meat products, eg chicken/lamb/ beef should not be stored in the same container. Do the same for cooked and uncooked meat to avoid contamination.

When kept in the fridge, it's best to consume your meat within 4 days. The meat we supply is fresh, so it is suitable to freeze too. Raw sausages can be frozen for up to 2 months, hamburger patties and mince are good for 4 months, steaks, chops and roasts - 6 months, while whole chickens can be kept frozen for one year.

At Your Food Collective, we’re proud about what we sell because it’s better – better for you and then planet. Every single item that we sell at Your Food Collective meets our strict sourcing criteria. Learn more about the basis for our decision making and dive into specific standards we set for eggs, produce, seafood, meat and grocery items.

Your food choices are powerful! When you get them right, they are the single most potent thing we can do as consumers to drive change. Making better food choices allows us to nourish our bodies whilst reducing the impacts of climate change and protecting biodiversity. Told you food is powerful!

But food’s complicated! Plus. food choices are individual and dependant on 100s of variables. To help make food choices easier and aligned with the sustainability markers that matter, we've spent years developing and refining our strict sourcing criteria. In short we've done research (so much research!) so you don't have to! For every product we carry we look at what’s in in, where it comes from and how it’s grown or made. These are the key drivers for taste, nutritional content and the environmental footprint of food.

At Your Food Collective we work with producers who grow and make their food with love - because it tastes better that way. We build relationships with our growers and makers that go beyond industry standards. This allows us to understand exactly what goes into making the tastiest, healthiest food whilst protecting our planet. Our producers share our core values for regenerative agriculture, animal welfare, sustainable production, and fair work.

We do all of this so that you don’t have to! (We get it: decision fatigue is real!).

Here are the overarching criteria that we use to source the food that gets delivered to your doorstep.

Amazing Taste -We taste produce at the beginning and end of every crop from every farmer every year. If it’s not amazing, we find another use for it to avoid food waste.

Local -YFC customers get the freshest food with the smallest carbon footprint, and heaps of other benefits. Over 95% of our fresh produce is grown within 250 kilometres. If we can’t find it locally we source it from as close as we can find. Everything we sell is made in Australia. This means we have shorter seasons of some crops and a smaller range of products, but rest assured we've got all your favourites.

Transparency -We talk directly to our producers, visit their farms, and demand 100% transparency across the entire supply chain. 

Natural -We believe in simple food that’s grown and prepared with love on healthy land. The criteria for ingredients we do and don't allow are amongst some of the most rigorous in the industry. We've outlined them by category below.

Animals -Animals Have Good Lives. Our meats are free range, pasture raised and regeneratively grown. No one has higher standards for the treatment of animals than we do. The result is true outdoor access, vastly better quality of life, and health (plus flavour for you).

Everyone -Everyone deserves dignity, choice and a living wage. We pay fair prices for food, and we work with suppliers who treat their workers fairly. 

Food production varies across categories so we have developed set sourcing criteria for each category. These are outlined below.

Our philosophy is simple when it comes to ingredients- they need to be real food and the fewer the ingredients the better. You won't find a long list of food additives, preservatives, flavor enhances, colorings and artificial sweeteners and fats in our food.

In a nutshell we stick to real ingredients that are grown with love and have true flavor. 

You can find the list of ingredients used in a product listed on the product page. If you can't find what you're looking for or need more detail please reach out and we can help you out: hello@yourfoodcollective.com

All fish and seafood sold at Your Food Collective must meet the following criteria.
Producers must be transparent about the catch method and fishing vessels or farm the fish has come from.
Producers must be open to farm visits and vessel inspections. Producers must comply with all guidelines and requirements as set out by the NSW Food Authority and Food Standards Australia.
Species are chosen based on their taste, sustainability and proximity to the consumers front door. The complexity of marine and freshwater ecosystems means knowing what to eat is confusing and ever changing. To bring you better seafood choices we regularly scrutinise data from such sources as GoodFish – Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide and The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation to determine the sustainability of seafood species. Nutritional value, taste, minimal impact to climate change and protection of biodiversity are our upmost priorities.

From time to time there are product substitutions as required during breeding periods and when water temperatures fluctuate.

We work hard to stock a range of pantry items that meet the needs of our customers' weekly cooking routines from amazing local producers who share our values. We build strong relationships with producers so we understand what goes into the growing and sourcing of ingredients as well as creation of their products. We work with producers who have a direct relationship with their growers and are building transparency across their whole supply chain. We acknowledge that supply chains can be complex and work with producers to improve this and provide grater transparency. Producers must comply with all guidelines and requirements as set out by the NSW Food Authority and Food Standards Australia. All processed and packaged products are made in Australia from the highest percentage of Australian ingredients possible.