2 minute read
Food Waste
by 55 North
FareShare distributes 250m meals during pandemic
The charity says the rising cost of living may be a factor behind the continuing high demand for its food.
FareShare, the charity fighting hunger and food waste, has redistributed the equivalent of 250 million meals throughout the pandemic.
Between 23 March 2020 and 24 February 2022 FareShare provided 105,000 tonnes of food to people going hungry across the UK.
The charity takes delivery of surplus good-to-eat food, which is unsold or unwanted by the food industry, sorts it in one of its 30 regional warehouses, and passes it onto a network of nearly 10,500 charities and charity groups.
These organisations then turn this food into meals for vulnerable families and individuals.
Lindsay Boswell, FareShare Chief Executive, said: “This milestone was achieved in partnership with the UK voluntary sector, and support from the food industry, as well as the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.
"The charities and community groups who receive our food kept their vital community work on the Covid frontline going, despite facing considerable difficulties and health risks.
“I would like to thank every single individual, food business, funder, volunteer and staff member who helped to support the FareShare network face into the pandemic, when the vulnerable communities who rely on charitable support across the country needed it most. But despite the end of Covid restrictions, the demand for our food remains as high as during the pandemic, with that demand exceeding supply.”
Rises in the cost of living are thought to be one of the main factors in the continuing high demand for surplus food.
