FareShare Sussex & Surrey highlights food scarcity crisis

Food waste charity FareShare Sussex & Surrey is appealing for farmers and food producers to provide support as it expands its vital services across Sussex and Surrey during the cost-of-living crisis.

 The charity warned food inflation remained high, while food supply was unpredictable, at a time when vulnerable people need its help the most in its Impact Report for 2023.

 FareShare Sussex & Surrey said demand for its services was increasing, with a waiting list of charities and groups catering for children and adults, whose mental and physical health is suffering because they are going hungry.

 Dan Slatter, CEO, FareShare Sussex & Surrey said: “We are appealing for farmers and food producers to donate any surplus food that would otherwise go to waste to help us feed those in need.

 “Areas with above average levels of homelessness, alcohol and substance abuse, single parent families, self-harm, elderly people and the rural poor in Sussex and Surrey are at the sharp end of rampant inflation and the worst drop in living standards since the 1950s.”

 FareShare Sussex & Surrey is a charity which rescues and redistributes surplus food, saving waste, reducing carbon emissions and fighting hunger, supporting more than 150 local organisations. 

The charity helps those who live in areas with the highest levels of deprivation, working with groups that provide healthy meals and wrap around support such as advice, guidance, health support, counselling and befriending to help break the cycle of poverty.

 In 2022 alone, the team worked alongside more than 150 active volunteers to deliver

1,014 tonnes of nutritious quality surplus food across the region and 2.4 million meals.

Nationwide, 9.3 million adults and four million children are now living in food poverty.

This represents nearly 20% of the UK population – this number has almost doubled in the last year, the charity said.

 In FareShare Sussex & Surrey’s 2023 Impact Report the charity warned food inflation remained high, while food supply was unpredictable, at a time when vulnerable people need its help the most.

 Slatter continued: “Food insecurity is being driven by supply chain disruption caused by Brexit, climate change and the war in Ukraine, while sky high energy prices are adding fuel to the fire of the cost-of-living crisis.

"Sadly, the result is that the volume of surplus food available to FareShare Sussex & Surrey is declining just as our charities and community groups need it the most.”

FareShare Sussex & Surrey is working with local charities, community partners and Surrey County Council to open a new warehouse and depot in Surrey later this year, to enable them to take different types of food which they otherwise could not accept. This includes frozen produce, seasonal gluts and single line items.

The charity is appealing for farmers and food producers to volunteer, fundraise, make donations and supply surplus food which will enable it help people in need.

Rachel Kelley, CEO of Higgidy in Shoreham said: “We've been donating any extra pies, quiches and rolls to FareShare Sussex & Surrey since we first started out back in 2004. We believe no good food should go to waste and FareShare Sussex & Surrey felt like the perfect fit to help us with this.

“We can't believe this partnership is almost 20 years old and over the years our relationship has grown to support each other. As well as donating our delicious pies, we have collaborated on sustainability issues and the Higgidy team have enjoyed volunteering at the FareShare Sussex & Surrey warehouse, seeing first-hand what happens to our donated stock.

“It really is a blooming partnership and we are excited for what we can achieve together in the years ahead.”

For more information and download the Impact Report, please visit:

https://faresharesussexandsurrey.org.uk/

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Editors notes

FareShare Sussex & Surrey rescues surplus food from businesses, supermarkets and farms. This food is nutritious, in-date, and safe and includes a high proportion of fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and fish. If the charity did not rescue this food, it would be at risk of going to waste. Instead, they deliver it to charities, schools, food banks, community pantries and fridges and other organisations serving vulnerable people.

In 2022, the charity delivered food for 2.5 million meals supporting 17,370 people a week at risk of food poverty. Food poverty is a huge and growing problem, and 13.4 million people including 4 million children in the UK live in households that struggle to afford to buy enough fruit, vegetables, fish and other healthy foods.