Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish is backing the #FoodOnPlates campaign to stop millions of tonnes of fresh, unsold food from being wasted, when it could instead go to charities and community groups feeding families.
One in 8 people in the UK struggles to afford food – and the pandemic has resulted in many more families face food insecurity, with 67% of charities providing emergency food aid saying they would have to continue, even as restrictions ease. However, more than a quarter of all the food grown in the UK is never eaten, representing 6% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.
The #FoodOnPlates campaign is being led by food redistribution charity FareShare, who, in Denton and Reddish last year, redistributed the equivalent of 194,00 meals via 7 local organisations. In Greater Manchester, Fareshare redistributed over 8 million meals last year, through 350 local organisations.
Commenting on the campaign Andrew Gwynne said:
“This is such an important campaign that I am proud to support. Charity and community organisations across Denton and Reddish have worked tirelessly to provide food throughout our community during the pandemic and beyond.
That’s why I’m backing the #FoodOnPlates campaign. It’s important that we secure funding for farmers to get their unsold fresh food to charities supporting vulnerable families and individuals, instead of it being wasted.”
FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell said:
“I’m very pleased to be working with Andrew Gwynne. Our network of frontline charities have been a lifeline for families during the pandemic, and, sadly, demand now remains at similar levels.
It’s a scandal that good food is left to rot in our fields or be thrown into biogas digesters or landfill when so many families are still dependent on food aid in the wake of the crisis, with thousands more unable to afford healthy fruit and veg.
France rescues six times more unsold food than we do in the UK, in part thanks to tax breaks that cover the additional costs of getting that food to charities. That’s why we’re calling on the UK Government to reinstate landmark funding to save good food and get it onto people’s plates.”
To find out more about the campaign go to foodonplates.org or view the policy briefing here: bit.ly/policybriefing-fop