On 12 June 2023 FareShare was hosted by MP Jo Gideon to launch the report and results of FareShare’s social return on investment which was conducted in collaboration with the University of Hertfordshire, who was also resent at the launch. Dr Aarti Rughoo, from the University of Hertfordshire said: “The findings show that by redistributing food, FareShare enables savings to be made to both the state and to beneficiaries”. Dr Christopher Nicholas explained, “We know the value created by FareShare has increased by 4.5x since 2019.” Their research revealed that the Government saves nearly £118 million a year by getting nutritious, edible food to charities rather than letting it go to waste. To read more about this research and FareShares click here.
Up next was Lindsay Boswell, the current CEO of FareShare, who highlighted the scale of the need for surplus food and the impact of the Cost of Living Crisis on communities. He said: “Food can be used as a way of creating a connection. What we are doing is using this surplus food to make connections one meal at a time. Food is too valuable not to use in this way”. George Wright, FareShare’s new CEO as of July 2023, was the final speaker of the day. He is excited to take the reins and steward the continued growth of the work FareShare does. Two weeks into joining FareShare, George reflected on his time so far: “When I took this job some people were surprised, asking why are you leaving the food industry? I said I’m not. We are the food industry. One thing that has impressed me is the sheer size and scale of the operation. It’s not just about physically what it does, the standard of commitment is beyond anything I have seen in the food industry The positivity is inspiring and infectious”. George finished by underlining that “Our services are needed now more than they ever have been.” and the importance of the 25 million Government ask. He highlights that, “If we all pull together we can fix this and the impact of it will be phenomenal”.
FareShare is asking the Government for a grant of £25m, which would allow them to redistribute an additional 100 million meals to vulnerable families – nutritious food that otherwise goes to waste. Their appeal can be supported through contacting the MP here.
