Last month the Evening Standard ran an investigation into the staggering 2.9million tons of good-to-eat food that is going to waste on UK farms, while soaring numbers of people go hungry nationwide – read here
The paper reports on how just a tiny percentage of a £750m per year subsidy for waste plants would help deliver an additional 100million meals to struggling families across the UK.
George Wright, the CEO of FareShare, is featured calling on the Government to help the charity to get more good to eat food to people who need it.
Responding to the article, George said:
“The cost of living crisis is driving millions into food insecurity, and FareShare faces a daily battle to meet demand. Meanwhile, millions of tonnes of edible surplus food is effectively thrown away. At a time of such dire need, it is outrageous that there is so much waste. Defra axed FareShare’s funding to work with farmers to get their surplus food to charities and community organisations and has consistently rejected calls to reinstate this funding.
Despite the backing of 127 MPs from across the house, over 100,000 people signing a petition, an open letter from 1400 charities, and two EFRA committee recommendations, this vital funding has yet to be reinstated.
The government must act immediately. Funding £25million will enable FareShare to deliver an additional 100 million meals to those worst affected by the cost-of-living crisis. Not only would this funding make a difference to lives, it would help prevent the wasteful emissions of 70,000 tonnes of CO2e and generate over £140 million in social value.
The Evening Standard’s investigation should act as a wake-up call. We want to work with government and industry to cut through the red tape to find a solution that will greatly impact lives. This needs leadership and joined-up government, and it needs to happen now.”
FareShare doesn’t have enough food to meet skyrocketing demand and needs help to get more food to people most impacted by the cost of living crisis.
Write to your MP to help get more good-to-eat food to people, not waste. Find out more: https://fareshare.org.uk/food-on-plates/
