Enough food to provide 100 million meals for hungry families is going to waste every year because of government inaction, campaigners have warned.
Charity FareShare is lobbying the UK Government to reinstate their support of Surplus With Purpose initiative, which enables farmers and factories to redistribute their surplus produce at zero cost.
It is estimated 2.9 tonnes of “good to eat” food is wasted on farms and factories every year – at a time when seven million people in the UK are described as “food insecure”.
With food costs at their highest for 14 years, FareShare is calling for £25million funding from Westminster to help turn that surplus into meals for families in need.
The Scottish Government is providing FareShare with £463,000 this financial year for surplus food redistribution, which includes Surplus with Purpose.
‘Match that level of ambition’
Jon Molyneux, the charity’s Scottish Affairs lead, said: “The funding is needed because there’s a huge among of good to eat food that’s produced by our farmers but for various reasons – like wonky vegetables – it doesn’t go to market.
“That food, even though it’s perfectly good to eat, isn’t eaten.
“It’s 17 times better for the environment to get that food to people to be eaten, rather than the next best thing which is animal digestion or ploughed back into soil.
“Those are cheaper options for farmers though, so what Surplus with Purpose does is meet those extra costs. There are no additional costs to the farmers who redistribute their produce to us and the food goes to people who need it.
“We rescued 1,000 tonnes of fresh food last year in Scotland.
“What we’re calling on at a UK level is the UK Government to match that level of ambition.”
‘Obvious benefits’
Last month, a cross-party letter signed by more than 50 MPs was submitted to Downing Street calling on the support for Surplus with Purpose to be renewed.
Just one MP from the north and north-east put his name to FareShare’s original letter, although it is understood not all of them saw the call to action or could not sign as they were ministers at the time.
Scores of cross-party letter requests are received on a regular basis.
Gordon SNP MP Richard Thomson, however, was among the 57 original signatories.
He said: “This is an important and significant initiative for a number of very good reasons.
“Firstly, there’s the obvious benefit to those who need the assistance of foodbanks at this time of intense pressure on household budgets due to the cost-of-living crisis.
“Secondly, our home-grown produce is of excellent quality and this serves as a reminder of what is available locally.
“Thirdly, the economics of this just make sense – diverting surplus good food from landfill or other non-food uses, reducing waste and food miles.
“I would urge everyone to get behind FareShare’s campaign and I hope the UK Government will respond positively.”
‘Imperative’ that funding reinstated
Now Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s Westminster group leader, has written his own letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling for the scheme to be supported.
The Aberdeen South MP told The Press and Journal that FareShare has his “full support” in their campaign and that it is “imperative” the UK Government reinstates the funding given the cost of living crisis.
In his letter, Mr Flynn tells Mr Sunak: “As you will be aware, 2.9 million tonnes of perfectly good food goes to waste every year in farms and factories while millions of people find themselves in food poverty with food costs at their highest in years.
“I have seen first hand the brilliant work foodbanks and community groups do in supporting our most vulnerable – work that is required in no small part thanks to decisions taken by Conservative governments and Tory austerity.
“By ensuring this funding is reinstated, it would make it cost neutral for farmers to package and deliver surplus food to charities without it going to waste.
“In Scotland, the Scottish Government has consistently backed FareShare given the value of fresh produce to families struggling to get by.
“The UK Government must follow this example and so I urge you to back the FareShare campaign and do right by hard pressed households.”
‘There’s a real opportunity here’
The Scottish Conservatives also voiced their support for the campaign, with politicians actively backing the work of local foodbanks like Cfine – FareShare’s main distributor for the north and north-east.
A spokesman said: “The Scottish Conservatives support and appreciate the work done by the likes of Cfine to support our rural communities through difficult times.
“Any mission to reduce food waste and reduce food poverty in Scotland should be listened to. Our MPs and MSPs are happy to meet with stakeholders to discuss how this can be achieved.”
FareShare has calculated the £25m request based on their ability to be able to deliver that much food via its regional depots.
Mr Molyneux said: “That £25m from the government is an opportunity to help our farmers and get food on plates during the cost of living crisis.
“We’re pleased with the level of support we’ve had so far from across the house, but we’d also welcome more parliamentarians getting behind us.
“There’s a real opportunity here: it’s a win, win – we get surplus food that’s good to eat on the plates of people who need it right now while also reducing waste.”
A Defra spokesman said: “We support the great work being done by redistribution organisations to get surplus food to those who need it most through our £15m food waste reduction fund. Since 2018 we have allocated nearly £13m to large and small-scale groups right across the country, including FareShare who have received around £3m in funding.
“Food waste is one of our biggest environmental challenges and here in the UK we are leading the global effort with a commitment to halve it by 2030.”
The Big Christmas Food Appeal
The Press and Journal, Evening Express, Energy Voice and Original 106 are working to alleviate food poverty and ease the pressure on struggling families this winter.
The Big Christmas Food Appeal aims to show people where to access food, but also to raise awareness of the initiatives – like FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose – and community efforts that can help.
We’re also working with Cfine to collection donations of both food and money, through our JustGiving page, Amazon wishlist and drop-off points.
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