FareShare news

15/01/2008 - The Local Food Team are looking to recruit a Grants Officer

The closing date for receipt of applications is noon on 1st February 2008

22/11/2007 - Launch of Local Food

FareShare is a consortium member of Local Food, launched on 22nd November. Local Food has been developed by a consortium of 16 national environmental organisations, and is managed on their behalf by the Royal society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). Supported by the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme, Local Food will distribute grants to a variety of food related projects to make locally grown food more accessible.

Please note FareShare cannot answer enquiries regarding this fund. RSWT will be accepting calls soon. In the meantime please keep checking the Big Lottery Fund's website for further information.

16/10/2007 - World Food Day 2007: The right to food

World Food Day, on the 16th October 2007, is a time to remind ourselves that poverty and hunger are problems the world over with a devastating impact. It is also a startling reminder that in a developed country such as the U.K. there are still over 4 million people who cannot afford a healthy diet.

However, food poverty affects disadvantaged people the whole year round. People living on the margins of society are not able to eat properly on a regular basis, either because they cannot afford to or because affordable nutritious food is not readily available where they live.

The choice of The Right to Food as the theme for 2007 World Food Day demonstrates increasing recognition by the international community of the important role of human rights in eradicating hunger and poverty, and hastening and deepening the sustainable development process. The right to food approach complements FareShare's objectives of promoting better food security, availability, access and utilization, and this year World Food Day will provide us with an opportunity to reinforce our campaign that 'no good food should be wasted'.

18/09/2007 - Valpak Names FareShare and Nestle UK as Best Partnership

FareShare, the Community Food Network, and Nestle UK were awarded 'Best Partnership' by leading recycling organisation Valpak at the organisation's annual awards on Tuesday night. The award recognised Nestle UK's work with FareShare to develop a one-stop shop for food industry surplus and waste: FareShare 1st.

The award celebrates the most successful partnership between diverse organisations to deliver a service, investment, or research which has resulted in more packaging being recycled.

FareShare1st redistributes quality, edible food to vulnerable people (through FareShare), and disposes of surplus by creating environmentally beneficial products (through waste management company, Ron Hull Jnr), while reducing the cost of waste disposal to businesses. The creation of FareShare1st has seen Nestle UK moving from 100% of surplus finished goods entering landfill in 2005 to an average of less than 5% in 2006.

As well as ensuring product is safely recycled, the scheme allows FareShare 1st to generate income for the charity. FareShare aims to become a self-sufficient organisation and FareShare 1st is integral to this.

25/01/2007 - Launch of report on economic benefits of waste minimisation

The findings of the study carried out by Integrated Skills, in conjunction with FareShare, were launched on 25th January. The project was sponsored by Evolve Environmental Body with funding provided by the Norlands Foundation. To request a copy of the report, please email Maria Olesen.

Star Cooks is a brilliant new charity cookbook for kids, packed full of healthy recipes from world-class chefs including Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay and Delia Smith. If you are interested in cooking some simple, yet great food with your children or on your own, you can buy the book from Dorling Kindersley. By doing so, you would also be supporting FareShare, as some of the proceeds from the sale will be donated towards our work to support communities to relieve food poverty.

25/07/06 - FareShare 1st Launched

FareShare has established a new social enterprise, FareShare 1st, to help solve the problem of waste for food and drink industry.

All profits generated by FareShare 1st will go directly to FareShare charity providing long term sustainable income to continue its work of addressing the issues of food poverty in the UK. Read full press release | Read BBC News item

28/3/2006 - Food Waste Minimisation Survey

FareShare is undertaking a survey into Economic Benefits of Waste Minimisation in the Food Sector. The project is being sponsored by Evolve Environmental Body with funding provided by the Norlands Foundation.

The specific information that you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence and not divulged to any third party, including FareShare, other than in the form of the aggregated results of the survey.

05/01/2006 Thank to everyone who supported FareShare's Christmas Appeal
A big thank you to the companies & individuals who have generously supported the appeal. Read full press release | View thank you message

14/12/2005 - Homelessness and food poverty aren't just issues at Christmas
Today sees the culmination of FareShare's first annual Christmas Meal Appeal. With the support of the food industry the appeal aims to provide 16,000 Christmas Meals for homeless and other disadvantaged people across the UK between 13th December and Christmas Day. Read full press release

13/12/2005 - FareShare 2005 National Impact report

In 2005, FareShare carried out its second biennial National Impact Survey. This survey was undertaken amongst the 250 organisations we support  - and, for the first time, over 650 of their clients - asking them for their feedback & comments on the FareShare food service, their client base, and other issues around food poverty.

The National Impact Survey clearly demonstrates that there is a need for the services that FareShare provides to address food poverty. It also demonstrates that FareShare has a tangible and measurable impact on the community, enabling its Community Members to access a wider range of good quality food and allowing them to free up funds to reinvest in other services in benefits of their clients.

21/2/2005 - FareShare and Sudan 1

The Food Standards Agency is advising people not to eat foods that have been inadvertently contaminated with an illegal dye called Sudan I. The dye was in a batch of chilli powder used to manufacture Worcester sauce, which was then used as an ingredient in a wide range food.

The dye could contribute to an increased risk of cancer. However, Dr. Jon Bell, Chief Executive of the Food Standards Agency, says:

"At the levels present the risk is likely to be very small but it is sensible to avoid eating any more. There is no risk of immediate ill-health."

FareShare is doing its utmost to ensure that we do not redistribute contaminated products to our Community Members. Each FareShare Project is regularly checking their stock and all new products coming in against the updated list of affected products published by the Food Standards Agency.

All the organisations registered to receive surplus food from FareShare have been informed of our efforts and should rest assured that FareShare will not redistribute contaminated products. If you have any questions or wish to discuss this further, please contact us on 020 7394 2468. Click here to download the letter sent to FareShare's Community Members.

9/2/2005 - FareShare receives grant from The Big Lottery Fund - Read press release

17/12/2004 - “Feeding homeless people is not cost effective”, says DEFRA

“DEFRA has no policy for managing and reducing the 17 million tonnes of waste produced by the food chain each year. As a result, this massive mountain of waste goes to landfill.

However, estimates suggest that a quarter of this food is still fit for purpose and perfectly good to eat, and as a result, can be used to feed the many thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged people that FareShare support each day”, said Tony Lowe, the Chief Executive of FareShare.

FareShare has been assisted with funding from the Government’s Landfill Tax Credit Scheme in the past (see Notes). As a result of a review of the scheme, this funding has been withdrawn and no alternative help has been offered by DEFRA.

“At a time when the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has just published a report highlighting that the political challenge posed by social deprivation is likely to intensify in the future, it makes no sense for an organisation helping to relieve this deprivation to be refused support by the Government.”

“The new BREW (Business Resource Efficiency and Waste) programme, launched in November by Margaret Beckett, is worth over £284 million, however the only initiative in programme towards the food industry waste mountain has been to establish research projects into minimising the food packaging used by supermarkets” said Lowe, “despite diverting thousands of tonnes of food from landfill for ten years, FareShare has been deprived of essential funding for work that is both environmentally useful and socially inclusive”.

“We have attempted to have discussions with DEFRA to ascertain how they are going to make inroads into this growing environmental and social problem, but found both the Food Directorate and the Waste Directorate have no plans and are unwilling to meet with us. As result of this neglect, we will have to seek alternative sources of funding, or seriously curtail our operations”, concluded Lowe.

Download press release (PDF - 20k)

01/12/04: New delivery scheme to reduce food poverty in London On 1st December, FareShare launched its new initiative in London, the van franchise scheme. The new scheme, which is being launched through financial support from Pret A Manger, aims to help FareShare provide food toward 2.2 million meals, for over 8,000 disadvantaged people a day meet by the end of 2007. As well as offering greater volunteering opportunities for people who want to support their local community. FareShare London currently operates in 9 boroughs in Central London, servicing 33 local charities and projects, providing food to over 1,800 people a day. The new 3-van franchise is part of FareShare’s “Vision for London”, which aims at expanding the service to cover all London boroughs by 2007. This new operating model consists of a van and a team of trained volunteers to drive and redistribute FareShare food safely, efficiently and cost effectively.
		“This project is providing Pret A Manger and FareShare with an opportunity to celebrate ten years of partnership, but more importantly it will help develop a new initiative that will help thousands more vulnerable people in the community”. Clive Schlee – Pret A Manger, CEO

02/11/04: FareShare launches as independent charity - The new food charity for the 21st century

FareShare was officially launched on 2nd November as in independent charity. The event took place at Sainsbury’s Business Centre in Holborn and was well-attended by representatives from the food and drinks industry and other sectors, local charities that receive food from FareShare and volunteers.

Simon Hughes MP made a speech during the presentation of the new charity and a video was shown depicting a day in the life of FareShare.
Martin Bowden, Sainsbury's Community Resources Manager said: "We have been a keen supporter of the FareShare food donation scheme since 1997 and have worked to increase the number of our stores that take part in the scheme over the last 7 years. With FareShare's help we donated £4 million worth of food last year that would have otherwise gone to waste. We look forward to continuing our relationship over the coming years."

Over the coming months, FareShare aims to further develop its links with the food industry by developing the surplus food service, opening more schemes in key cities and further training for its volunteers.
“This is a great day for FareShare. By becoming an independent charity, we aim to offer a ‘service’ to different sectors of society with different needs - for the food industry offering a unique service, taking valuable, good quality food and giving to those who truly need it, with the invaluable help of people wanting to give their time and energy. It’s a very special organisation “, says Tony Lowe, Chief Executive Officer, FareShare.

01/08/04 - Pret A Manger supports new FareShare initiative

FareShare London currently operates in five Central London boroughs; however as part of our aim to have a presence in all areas in the UK, we are working to expand the service to cover a wider area of the capital. Pret A Manger have been supplying surplus food to FareShare since it was established in 1994. As a leading partner, and as part of our “Vision for London” project, Pret are investing in ourfood service by sponsoring the development of three van franchises over the next two years. This new operating model consists of a van and a team of trained volunteers to drive and redistribute FareShare food safely, efficiently and cost effectively. Alex Green says: “This project
is providing Pret A Manger and FareShare with
an opportunity to celebrate our ten years of partnership, but also develop a new initiative that will help the newly independent FareShare enhance its logistical capabilities and expand its service”.

The London pilot started in May 2004 is being run by one of FareShare's local charity members, Upper Rooms, in Acton.

26/07/04 - Petit Forestier support FareShare

Petit Forestier, the leading temperature controlled vehicle rental and hire specialist, are providing FareShare with vans on a contract hire agreement. The company originally became involved with FareShare 18 months ago when it was still known as Via Solutions. David Richards the CEO had seen a FareShare van in Brighton and contacted us to say that he and the company would like to offer the charity some support. To date, to show their commitment they have donated two dual compartment freezer/chilled vehicles to our Edinburgh and Brighton and Hove depots.
They have now developed a contract hire deal that will help the FareShare network to replace their existing fleet with new vehicles. The vehicles will be maintained by Petit Forestier. David Richards said “Petit Forestier are delighted to be able to offer this degree of long term support to FareShare. We wish them ongoing success as they expand and re-focus their operation.”

08/05/04 - Kraft Foods give FareShare a boost Kraft Foods gave a boost to the work of FareShare, when Justin Cook, Director, Supply Chain, UK and Ireland, handed over a 17-tonne truck to FareShare's Chair, Caro Pickering and Managing Director Tony Lowe at its Bermondsey, London depot today. Kraft Cares, the joint initiative between Kraft Foods and its employees, is a global approach to addressing social needs by providing goods, services and cash donations. It focuses on alleviating hunger, promoting health and well being and on working for a sustainable environment and agricultural supply chain. Kraft Cares' commitment is demonstrated by its on-going support for FareShare and for the Cheltenham Open Door project which offers hospitality, food and support to those in need. It also works with Business in the Community to manage the Kraft Cares Breakfast Club programme, which gives primary school children a nutritious start to the day and teaches them the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. Tony Lowe said, "FareShare has a three year plan to develop its capacity to provide the food industry with a more comprehensive service to ensure no good food is unnecessarily wasted. This in turn allows us to give thousands of homeless and vulnerable people a chance to improve their health and well being by accessing food they otherwise would not get. We thank Kraft for its support in this development. This lorry will ensure we can offer a balanced range of products out of each of our national depots."
		"FareShare has an excellent and expanding network of donors and needy recipients nation-wide. It also has the determination and expertise to become even more successful in future and we are delighted that Kraft Cares can support its growth by providing the 17-tonne truck to increase its distribution capacity." Justin Cook, Kraft

29/04/04 - FareShare Activity Report (Quarter 1, 2004)

This update highlights the activity, and a comparison from previous quarters, in the key areas of the FareShare operation including the flow of quality surplus food going through the network of depots from the 1January to 31 March 2004. Download report (PDF)

03/04/2004 - Food and Drink Expo, Birmingham NEC 14-17 March 2004

FareShare is participating to the Food and Drink Expo in Birmingham the 14th-17th March (stand K94). Please do come and see us so we can discuss a possible partnership or find out anymore information about us.  At the Expo, we are working with other exhibitors to ensure that any good quality food that is left after the conference is collected and delivered to agencies working with homeless and vulnerable people.

04/02/04 - FareShare Activity Report (Quarter 4 2003)

This update highlights the activity, and a comparison from same period in previous years, in the key areas of the FareShare operation including the flow of quality surplus food going through the network of depots from the 1 October to 31 December 2003.

• FareShare Edinburgh has redistributed the largest amount of food - 89,5824.2 kg
• The FareShare network has redistributed 378.12 tonnes of food in 4 months, which represents an increase of 28.9% to last quarter's figures and an increase of 13.4% to the same quarter in 2002
• This is due to an increase in recipient projects (235 projects in 2003 compared to 212 in 2002).
• FareShare is now collecting more food from the food industry: 494.56 tonnes. This is an increase of 61.6% to last quarter's figures. This is due to FareShare recruiting new food donors such as the Co-op. At the same time, there has been an increase in one-off food donations.
• The difference between the amount of food collected and the amount of food redistributed (116.44 tonnes) represents the fact that we now take more ambient long life foods, which are stored in the depots for longer period waiting to be redistributed.
• Total waste over the quarter for all the depots is 2010.7 kg in total. This amounts to 0.4% of the food collected. The reduction in waste is due to better waste management, and a more effective redistribution system.
• In the last quarter, FareShare has contributed food towards 16,716 meals for homeless and vulnerable people. A new formula for calculating the number of meals was agreed. Due to this it is difficult to compare with the previous quarters.
• The number of volunteers across the network has remained steady over the last 2 quarters (approx. 179 volunteers). There is a 40.8% decrease on last year's figure (Sept-Dec. 2002). The major drop has happened in London, due to a number of factors; moving depots and there has been some difficulties in volunteer recruitment and management.

01/02/04 - Changes to the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme

The government created the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme (LTCS) through the Landfill Tax Regulations 1996 and ENTRUST was appointed as the administrative body for the scheme.  In brief, the government allows some of the money it levies on operators of landfill sites to be used to benefit communities and the environment.  Landfill operators can contribute up to 20% of their landfill tax liability to environmental bodies in return for a tax credit.

The deletion of funding criteria c and cc from the LTCS has meant that there is no scope for projects, such as FareShare, who are attempting to prevent waste from being sent to landfill in the first place, thereby helping the government to meet its justifiably high targets for recycling. 

As you are aware, there is no mechanism currently in place that allows for companies such as those with which we work to decide where their landfill tax credit payments are allocated and we are currently putting together a lobbying strategy on the subject of the deletion of these funding criteria and the ability of companies to donate their tax credits where they see fit. If you want more information, please don't hesitate to contact Alex Green - Fundraising, Marketing and Communications Manager on 020 7394 2468 or email alex.green@fareshare.org.uk