FareShare launches winter food surplus campaign

The charity is calling on manufacturers, retailers and foodservice operators to donate food to support the 1 in 5 people in the UK, including 4 million children, worry about where their next meal is going to come from.

In July last year, a survey by the Food Standards Agency found that food insecurity had increased from 16% to 25% across England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the last three years.

Making a difference

Commenting on the initiative, FareShare director Simon Millard said: “We know that surplus food can be put to good use – it’s what we do. In 2022-23, 91% of the food we provided was excess that otherwise would have gone to waste. By signing up, your business’s seasonal surplus can make a huge difference the lives of people across the UK.”​

“This initiative helps the environment too – for every tonne of surplus food we’ve redistributed, we’ve prevented the waste of 2 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 2.66 million litres of water. Through reducing emissions and providing meals to people who need it, FareShare takes the environmental problem of food waste and turns it into a social good.”​

Charity network

Established almost 30 years ago, FareShare is one of the UK’s longest running food redistribution charities. Its network of charitable food redistributors is made up of 18 independent organisations who take good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to nearly 8,500 frontline charities and community groups.

Manufacturers interested in joining the initiative can sign up via FareShare’s website.​​

Meanwhile, Food Manufacture editor Bethan Grylls found out the type of work going on behind the scenes at a food redistribution charity when she visited the Felix Project’s Enfield warehouse​​ and journeyed with the food as it made its way to the Bruce Grove Youth Space in London.