Demand doubles at food redistribution project keeping food out of landfill
The number of people taking part in a food redistribution project to keep leftover products from supermarket shelves out of landfill has doubled in the last two years.
People in Newport have caught onto the idea of helping to reduce the mountain of food waste that is thrown away and canny shoppers are managing to take home bargain bags of produce.
Whether someone is a lottery winner or on the breadline, people are being welcomed to take part in a food share project where volunteers are helping with the redistribution of leftover food from supermarket shelves.
The Newport Food Save & Share scheme was originally established by team leader and founder Fiona Asson in Donnington before relocating to the town two years ago, and since then its popularity has continued to soar.
Soo Sherratt, part of the team involved in the project, said: "We are a zero waste food project, working with local businesses and Waitrose, Lidl, Aldi, Greggs, Tesco in Stafford, and the Co-op in Gnosall, to help prevent food going to landfill.
"At the end of each week supermarkets find they have over-ordered or have food near to their end-of-date and previously this food would be thrown out and go to landfill.
"We collect and, depending on the items, freeze and label products or put them in a chiller or an air-conditioned room for fruit and vegetables.
"On Mondays, between 11.30am and 12.30pm we distribute the food from the Royal British Legion in Audley Road, Newport, and anyone is welcome to come along and we charge a £2 donation for each person being fed and people go home with bulging shopping bags.
"On Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday we collect from the local stores.
"It does not matter whether people face difficult circumstances or are lottery winners, they can still turn up to collect food by making a contribution of £2 per person and they will be helping prevent food waste.
"In this day and age it is proving to be a big draw to people on low incomes and pensioners as well as those who really want to help the planet and reduce waste.
"I say that if Sir David Attenborough had the opportunity to come along to take advantage of the produce here, he would do so because of the environmental impact it is having.
"Last week more than 100 people turned up and we have seen the numbers of people coming to the distribution centre at the Royal British Legion on Mondays rise from about 50 to 65 to more than 100 - but the produce handed over feeds many more because people collect on behalf of others.
"Because we charge a £2 donation for the people being fed, last week the produce was eaten by 184 people.
"We offer a selection of vegetables from whatever is in season, fruit, items from the bakery, including even home-baked bread, various cakes and things from the chilled and frozen section.
"Everyone gets a pack of chicken portions and these mostly include chicken breasts which are donated by Avara every week.
"We also provide minced meat, bacon, pizzas, prawns and joints of meat.
"If we find we have not got the amount of usual produce we halve the price of donations per person to be fed.
"The idea actually started with a FareShare group, a national network of charitable food distributors which was aimed at fighting both hunger and food waste.
"Their aim is to redistribute surplus food to frontline charities and we have taken the idea a step further and developed it on a local basis.
"We have 14 volunteers, ranging in age from their 30s to Denis Telford, our car park attendant, who is 88 years old.
"During the pandemic we worked all through the lockdowns and at that time had a sister branch in Telford.
"We worked out of a mobile chiller van and with local councillors, such as Peter Scott who was at that time mayor, and distributed food door-to-door in Newport.
"At the end of any week there is any food left it goes to a bird rescue sanctuary where they take surplus fruit and vegetables, and to two smallholders with pigs who take the bread.
"But we help people first, and if there is anything left over it goes to the animals, and nothing goes in the bins.
"Recently we have also collected donations from local people of toiletries, nappies and other products for the Ukraine Appeal and these are being delivered to Poland.
"One shipment has already gone and another is going out on March 9."
