MP wants new fund to help redistribute surplus food

Carshalton & Wallington MP Tom Brake is calling on the Government to introduce a £15m fund to tackle hunger by redistributing surplus food to charities rather than landfills. 
FareShare, the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, has revealed that every year, at least 270,000 tonnes of edible food is wasted in UK food production. Currently, it is cheaper for companies to dispose of excess food rather than redistribute it.
 
Hoping to ease the financial burden for corporate social responsibility, FareShare has launched its first national campaign: “Feed People First”.
 
FareShare is calling on the Government to set up a £15 million fund to cover the costs of the storage and transport of 100,000 tonnes of food a year, so businesses can be equally compensated whether they choose to redistribute their food to charity or send it to animal feed or anaerobic digestion.
 
This fund would save charities £150m by making surplus food available so they can feed vulnerable people in need. 
 
Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton & Wallington, said:
 
“I was shocked to learn that in our country one in eight people go hungry and the same time as hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food are wasted in production.
 
“This is a careless act and I hope the Government will agree that we have a responsibility to look out for those in need.” 
 
The surplus food FareShare currently receives from the national supply chain is redistributed to over 7,000 charities and community groups such as homeless hostels, children’s breakfast clubs and lunch clubs for older people who use the food to prepare nutritious cooked meals. 
Read More

SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW

Email Address *