Tony Lowe - FareShare

ePolitix.com speaks to Tony Lowe, chief executive of FareShare, about the work of the organisation and its upcoming event on food poverty and food waste.

Question: Can you tell us a bit about the work of FareShare?

Tony Lowe: FareShare is the national charity supporting communities to relieve food poverty. Through our work we address two very urgent issues – food waste and food poverty.

The charity addresses these issues in three ways: First of all, we provide quality surplus food from the food industry to over 500 organisations across the UK which support homeless and other vulnerable people.

Secondly, we provide a programme of education and vocational training opportunities for volunteers and the clients through our Eat Well Programme. Finally, we aim to engage with stakeholders and promote the message that 'No Good Food Should be Wasted'.

FareShare has been operating since 2004 and today has 12 locations around the UK. In 2007, the food we redistributed contributed towards more than 4.5 million meals, and every day an average of 25,000 people benefit from the service FareShare provides.

In terms of our environmental impact, the redistribution of food by FareShare minimises surplus food going to landfill, which in turns helps businesses reduce CO2 emissions (by 19,500 tonnes in 2007)

Question: What is FareShare 1st?

Tony Lowe: FareShare 1st is a resource management social enterprise set up in 2006, wholly owned by the charity FareShare, aimed at providing the food and drink industry with a business efficient solution to ensure their surplus and waste food is disposed of in the greenest way possible.

Food that is edible and within life will be redirected trough the FareShare network of community members. The remaining non-edible food will be disposed of using the best solutions, minimising food going to landfill.

Question: How do businesses benefit from giving to FareShare?

Tony Lowe: Companies have the opportunity to support an organisation that has measurable impacts on both disadvantaged people in the community and the environment and meet their CR objectives.

Through the establishment of FareShare 1st, the food and drink industry is provided with an environmentally and sustainable solution of disposing with its entire food and drink surplus in a way that suits individual sustainability strategies and makes business sense.

By working with FareShare, the businesses also demonstrate social and environmental responsibility to staff and customers, and offers opportunities to their employees for increased community involvement.

Question: What is food poverty? And how many people are affected by it?

Tony Lowe: Those suffering from food poverty are people with low or no income, with poor access to affordable nutritious food and who lack the knowledge, skills or equipment to ensure food is safe and prepared properly.

Recent research indicates that poverty in the UK has not deepened but broadened, encompassing many more people: over four million people in the UK cannot afford a healthy diet and seven million people are affected by low income - perhaps the most critical factor leading to food poverty.

Question: In your opinion, what impact will the rising cost of food have on the UK?

Tony Lowe: We do not expect that the current problem of rising food prices will affect the amount of food waste that is generated and that's because the volume of food wasted is caused by many factors, not just price.

Consumer demand for choice is constantly rising and the highly competitive food industry is trying to respond to this demand - waste will naturally occur as a by-product of this environment.

For the most vulnerable people, it will be even more difficult to access affordable nutritious food, leading to increased food poverty across a broader spectrum of people in the country.

Question: There have been several big campaigns to encourage people to think about their household waste but could businesses do more to manage their waste carefully?

Tony Lowe: These campaigns are all very important, as they aim to minimise food going to waste.

FareShare supports the work carried out by government agencies to highlight the tremendous amount of food waste being thrown away by households and its advisory work into how this can be avoided, for example, through the love food hate waste campaign.

However, food waste does not occur just within our homes. FareShare works to raise the issue of food waste arising before it reaches the consumers' basket and more importantly, to address the fact that millions of tonnes of good quality food are still being disposed of in this country, before it reaches the consumers and despite the fact that it remains fit for consumption.

In order to maximise the economic, social and environmental benefits that result from the capture and redistribution of food, greater attention and importance must be given by both government and the private sector to waste minimisation in the food sector, for example, to minimising pre-consumer as well as post-consumer food waste and surplus.

While no one in the industry would deny that there are still some problems and that investment throughout the food chain should help minimise waste, there are always going to be situations where food becomes surplus.

The companies we work with have identified that the problem exists and are dealing with it in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Companies can identify surplus food before it becomes waste and redistribute products to FareShare rather than sending them to landfill.

By working with FareShare, the food and drink industry is making sure the product is used for its purpose, and benefits people who really need it.

Question: What do you hope to achieve next as an organisation?

Tony Lowe: FareShare's vision is to create a unique nationwide solution for the sustainable management of both quality surplus food and food waste. It aims to do this through maintaining the support from its existing food and drink industry partners and other businesses, by working collaboratively with them and by appealing to more businesses for support.

We have ambitious plans for the next three years, which will be presented at a launch event on September 18, where Joan Ruddock MP and minister for waste will lead a programme of high-profile speakers from the food and drink industry.