Fareshare’s evidence to the Efra Committee Food Security Inquiry

FareShare has published its written evidence as part of its participation in the Efra Committee Food Security Inquiry. 

The inquiry, which is looking at the pressures facing the UK food supply chain and its implication for UK food security and public access to access healthy and nutritious food, will hear from Lindsay Boswell - FareShare CEO - today (22nd November) as part of an oral evidence session on food security.

FareShare's written evidence includes the findings of our survey on the impact of the cost of living crisis on the charities we support as well as our call for the government to unlock further food surplus which could deliver 42,500 tonnes of surplus food, the equivalent of 100 million meals, to people worst hit by the cost of living crisis.

In 2019, FareShare received a £1.9 million grant as part of a government-led trail project to tackle food waste. This funding has been axed. Despite two Efra Committee recommendations for the funding to be reinstated, hundreds of conversations, a flood of MP letters, and multiple meetings with senior ministers calls to extend this funding have been rejected. A reinstatement of this funding would enable FareShare to go some way to meet the demand for food in the charity sector caused by the cost of living crisis. FareShare is asking for £25 million a year in support, which would make it cost-neutral for farmers, growers and producers to pick, package and transport their surplus food instead of it going to waste or other destinations.

Read: FareShare written evidence for Efra Committee Food Security Inquiry