FareShare Sussex & Surrey highlights food scarcity 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 people and businesses to help us feed those in need throughout Surrey and Sussex during a period of rampant food inflation and a cost-of-living crisis which has hit the most vulnerable members of our community the hardest.

“The charities and groups our food is delivered to are a lifeline for the hidden minority in this affluent part of the country.

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

“There are so many ways for local people, businesses, food producers and farmers to support our vital work, including donating money to pay to run our food delivery vans, donating food and volunteering.”

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 per cent of the UK population – this number has almost doubled in the last year, the charity said.

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.”

The charity is appealing for donations, volunteers and fundraising.

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 to download the Impact Report, please visit:https://faresharesussexandsurrey.org.uk/