Norwich’s waste food could be given to the homeless
The wall of containers holding donated baked beans at the Norwich Foodbank. Picture: Denise Bradley - Credit: copyright: Archant 2013
A new organisation is hoping to reduce supermarket food waste by redistributing it to the homeless.
Rowan Van Tromp, 22, co-ordinator of Norwich FoodHub. - Credit: Archant
The Norwich FoodHub hopes to visit retailers in the city to collect fruit, vegetables and bakery products that would otherwise be thrown out.
It would then hand out the items to various local charities which work with people in need.
Rowan Van Tromp, 22, of Lowestoft, is the co-ordinator of the Norwich FoodHub. He said: 'Using food waste to feed the hungry is not a solution to food poverty. That should be addressed through fair and sustainable welfare policies. However, while both food waste and food poverty coexist we need to organise so that this food can be used to help people in need.'
It comes as environment secretary and South West Norfolk MP Liz Truss said yesterday that everyone had a responsibility to cut down on food waste.
According to the charity WRAP, an estimated 15 million tonnes of produce is thrown out each year by supermarkets and households in the UK.
In an attempt to reduce this figure in Norwich, the FoodHub would collect safe-to-eat food that is due to be thrown out by supermarkets.
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Through a central market stall, it would then distribute the food to various charities which help people in need.
Mr Tromp intends to contact the city council to try to set up a market stall.
A spokesman for Norwich City Council said: 'A range of ideas have been proposed about how Norwich City Council might support charities and organisations currently working to tackle food waste and food poverty.
'This work is very much ongoing and the council will support appropriate schemes and projects where it can.'
For more information email NorwichFoodHub@gmail.com.
Have you launched a new scheme to help people in need? Call Luke Powell on 01603 772684.
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