FIGHTING FOOD POVERTY ONE SPUD AT A TIME WITH ONE MILLION MEALS DONATED TO FARESHARE

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 15 August 2022

UPDATED: 15 August 2022

AN ASTOUNDING one million meals have been donated by national potato supplier Branston (www.branston.com), to FareShare (www.fareshare.org.uk), the UK’s biggest network of charitable food distributors.

Aiming to fight hunger and reduce food waste, Branston has partnered with the nationwide organisation to reach their common goal, and all with the power of the humble spud.

Since donations began in 2017, Branston has delivered a total of 418 tonnes, equating to more than one million meals from across its Lincoln, Taunton and Perth sites. Having started by donating at various times of the year, Branston has now set up regular weekly donations of up to six pallets of potatoes per site.

Working alongside FareShare, which liaises with charities across the country to transform surplus food into meals for those in hardship, Branston has supported a total of 1,426 different charities which included food banks, hostels, refuges, community centres, older people’s lunch clubs, school clubs and hospices.

Simon Telfer, HR director at Branston said:

“Reaching this huge milestone is a proud moment for Branston. Supporting charitable organisations is a major part of our ethos and FareShare’s commitment to not only reducing food waste, but also providing nourishing meals for those in need, really resonates with us as a business.

“Potatoes are a household staple that are easy to cook with and offer a range of nutritional benefits, making them an essential part of many meals. As more and more people are affected by the ongoing cost of living crisis, we’re so pleased to be supporting a range of charities that offer help to those in need, from food banks to community kitchens.

“We’re proud to be able to contribute such an enormous donation, which has assisted FareShare’s incredible work in delivering the equivalent of almost 130 million meals throughout the last financial year, and we encourage more businesses to join forces with the charity and support communities in need.”

Branston has been donating a designated volume of potatoes each week to FareShare since 2017, however, on many occasions, it has exceeded this number. Ensuring no potato is wasted, those that may not meet store criteria, or cannot be used for ready to cook meals, due to size or shape variation are often donated in order to avoid surplus waste.

Ben Read, commercial officer at FareShare, said:

“The potatoes we receive from Branston are so valuable for the charities we support. The versatility of the product really benefits people who are struggling with partnerships such as these vital during the current cost of living crisis which we are currently facing. We want to extend a big ‘thank you’ to the Branston team for its continued support and congratulations on reaching an amazing milestone of which one million meals have been redistributed to FareShare.”

Branston’s potatoes have provided a lifeline to a range of communities including a large percentage of donations going to low and no-income families, those who are homeless and both children under 18 and elderly people in need.

Midlands based Jenny Flood, Gussies Kitchen’s volunteer and administrative coordinator said:

“The type of food that we receive from our FareShare deliveries has made such a difference to the families and individuals that we support, in that they are able to make well-balanced nutritious meals. We’ve seen the positive impact that donations like Branston have on our beneficiaries firsthand and it really has made an enormous impact on people's lives.”

For more information on Branston visit www.branston.com

< Back