At FareShare we take food safety very seriously. The steps we take include following food industry safety guidelines, using food management systems that ensure full compliance and traceability and independently auditing our Regional Centres every year.
Your food will be used by our charity members to feed vulnerable people across the country. The majority of the charities and community groups we work with will use your food to cook hot meals on-site. Only charity members with audited cooking facilities will receive chilled/frozen food. The food products are not sold or exchanged in any way and only supplied to an authorised outlet within the FareShare compliance guidelines.
Each FareShare Regional Centre is audited regularly by NSF International, using a specific audit process. Each of our Centres are audited on their Storage, Wholesale and Distribution standard, and all have been awarded Gold standard. Audit documentation is available for each of our Centres. An internal audit is also carried out by a qualified member of the National Team every six months.
Each Regional Centre works closely with the charities in their locality and inspects them on an annual basis, to ensure they are compliant with food hygiene and food safety regulations.
The FareShare database provides full traceability of all products, from the time of receipt by FareShare to the point of delivery at our charity members.
We adhere to all relevant food safety legislation including:
In addition, FareShare has a full HACCP Manual, which ensures all appropriate processes and procedures are implemented across our network.
Every Regional Centre follows a strict compliance procedure. All FareShare warehouse managers and co-ordinators hold a CIEH Level 3 Award in Food Safety. All of our Regional Centres use the following documentation:
One of the most important elements of FareShare’s processes is that we ensure food safety requirements are upheld right to the point of consumption, i.e. after we have provided the food to our charity members.
When signing up new charity members, FareShare checks each organisation to ensure they follow food safety law and are well equipped to handle, store and prepare the food. If the charities have to make adjustments, we work closely with them to support and advise them in addressing any issues and improving their processes, so that they can take FareShare food and therefore feed people in need.
In the unlikely event that a food supplier would need to recall their products, FareShare is able to undertake this process and provide reassurance to our food partners.
If you’re a company with surplus food contact our Food Team to find out more.
T: 020 7064 8911
E: foodoffers@fareshare.org.uk
“We want to minimise as much of our food going to waste as possible, and FareShare offer a business safe and secure route for getting our surplus food to local charities. They comply with the same Food Standards as the food industry, so we can rest assured that our products will safely find their way onto the plates of the people who need them most.”
George Wright, Commercial Director, Fresh Food and Commodities at Tesco
