From Food Waste to Fighting Hunger · FareShare, a national charity, has been addressing this issue...

From Food Waste

to Fighting Hunger: Exploring FareShare

Authors: Hashim Ahmed, Carl Cullinane, Jasmin Keeble, Sarah Kunz, Anna Marcinkiewicz and Alice Ryley

Prepared for: FareShare

At NatCen Social Research we believe that social research has the power to make life better. By really understanding the complexity of people’s lives and what they think about the issues that affect them, we give the public a powerful and influential role in shaping decisions and services that can make a difference to everyone. And as an independent, not for profit organisation we’re able to put all our time and energy into delivering social research that works for society. We are very thankful to the charity staff, beneficiaries and volunteers who generously gave their time in interviews for this study. We would also like to extend thanks to Maria Kortbech-Olesen, Shakira Silvestri, Christopher Somerville and Kathy Hoyle, who managed the research on behalf of FareShare London and Edinburgh Cyrenians.

NatCen Social Research 35 Northampton Square London EC1V 0AX T 020 7250 1866 www.natcen.ac.uk A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England No.4392418. A Charity registered in England and Wales (1091768) and Scotland (SC038454)

NatCen Social Research | From Food Waste to Fighting Hunger: Exploring FareShare 1

Contents 1 Introduction. .................................................................. 2

1.1 About the research .....................................................................................................2

2 Mapping the FareShare network ................................... 4

2.1 FareShare depots .......................................................................................................4

2.2 Member charities .......................................................................................................6

3 Member charities’ experience of FareShare ................. 8

3.1 Why member charities join the FareShare network ...................................................8

3.2 How member charities use FareShare food ...............................................................8

3.3 How FareShare food makes a difference to member charities ..................................9

4 Beneficiaries’ experience of FareShare food............... 12

4.1 Improved access to food ..........................................................................................12

4.2 Increased social interaction and belonging..............................................................13

4.3 Better health and wellbeing .....................................................................................14

5 Conclusions ................................................................. 16

5.1 Mapping FareShare ..................................................................................................16

5.2 Member charities’ and beneficiaries’ experience of FareShare...............................16

2 NatCen Social Research | From Food Waste to Fighting Hunger: Exploring FareShare

1 Introduction

An estimated 3.9 million tonnes of food were wasted in 2011 by

the UK grocery sector yet people throughout the UK experience

food poverty.1

FareShare, a national charity, has been addressing this issue by redistributing surplus food from the UK food industry to charities that support vulnerable people in the UK.2 FareShare has long helped those living on the margins of society to access food and to address the underlying causes of poverty. FareShare runs 17 depots across the UK, delivering surplus food to a network of more than 1,000 charities and community projects, catering to approximately 51,000 people a day.3 Charities and organisations who receive FareShare food are called Community Food Members and will be referenced in this report as ‘member charities’. FareShare’s network of member charities targets a broad range of people experiencing food poverty. Member charities include breakfast clubs, women’s refuges, luncheon clubs for the elderly, hostels and drop-in centres for homeless people, amongst others. In 2012, FareShare redistributed 4,200 tonnes of food. Beneficiaries of FareShare member charities generally consume food onsite at their charities, rather than taking it home as is often the case with other food redistribution models. FareShare believe that there are a host of benefits associated with eating communally. The opportunity to eat a meal with others can provide a supportive, safe and constructive environment for vulnerable people or those experiencing challenging circumstances. In this way the FareShare model can also act as a way of introducing beneficiaries to other services available at member charities such as advice about returning to work, finding suitable accommodation, or help with substance misuse. As well as redistributing food, FareShare runs training programmes for beneficiaries of their member charities, including warehouse employability training and education programmes covering subjects like nutrition, food hygiene and safe food preparation. FareShare food is prepared safely and hygienically, therefore protecting the integrity of the brands redistributed by FareShare. Above all, FareShare is committed to spreading the message that ‘no good food should be wasted’.

1.1 About the research In September 2012 FareShare asked NatCen to conduct research to complement their ongoing National Impact Survey,4 which FareShare regularly carries out amongst its member charities. The research enhances FareShare’s understanding of their current distribution

1 WRAP (2012) estimates of waste in the food and drink supply chain, available at

http://www.wrap.org.uk/node/16088. 2 FareShare has been operating since 2004 as an independent charity, having been established by Crisis the

homeless charity in 1994. 3 As of December 2013, FareShare has run 17 depots.

4 The main aims of the National Impact Survey are to review the type and range of charities FareShare works with,

assess the impact of FareShare on these organisations, review the charities’ needs and seek indicators of how FareShare can develop and improve their service to better meet these needs.


network and provides an in-depth picture of how their services affect member charities and their beneficiaries. The three aims of the research were to:

• Map FareShare’s current distribution network including the location of depots and member charities in relation to the potential need for food

• Assess the importance of FareShare food provision and delivery from the perspective of member charities

• Develop a detailed understanding of how beneficiaries (and volunteers) experience FareShare and FareShare food

We used Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping to develop a detailed picture of the FareShare network. GIS mapping helped us to visualise the relationships between deprivation, FareShare depots and member charities. Our analysis looked at how current FareShare resources are targeted and analysed overall access to FareShare food among deprived communities. We used a qualitative case study approach to provide in-depth accounts of how FareShare food affects member charities and their beneficiaries. To do this we selected five case studies of member charities based in England and Scotland, each with different characteristics to represent the range of different member charities in FareShare’s network. Member charities varied in size, how long they had been FareShare members, and the types of beneficiaries they provided specialised services to. Beneficiaries in this study included:

• Young people

• Women who had experienced domestic violence

• Elderly people

• People recovering from drug and alcohol addiction

• Homeless people

We interviewed staff, beneficiaries and where possible volunteers, at each of the five member charities we visited. This qualitative approach was used to gain a rich and detailed understanding of the range and diversity of views amongst participants, rather than assess how many people held a particular view. This is why this report does not present numerical findings on the prevalence of views and experiences. This report provides an integrated summary of the GIS mapping and qualitative case studies.5 It covers:

• Mapping the FareShare network

• Member charities’ experience of FareShare

• Beneficiaries’ experience of FareShare

• Suggestions for improvement

• Conclusions

5 In addition to this summary of findings, we produced a detailed report for FareShare that explored operational issues and provided recommendations for the improvement of their services.


2 Mapping the FareShare network

Both FareShare depots and member charities are geographically very well

situated in terms of areas of deprivation, offering a high degree of access

to the most vulnerable in society.

2.1 FareShare depots Food provided by the UK food industry is received at 17 FareShare depots up and down the country. It is then sorted and delivered to member charities in the surrounding area of each depot. Given the vulnerable communities receiving the food, and FareShare’s focus on fresh produce, an efficient and well-targeted distribution network is crucial. As Figure 1 demonstrates, the location of FareShare depots closely matches geographic patterns of deprivation and poverty.

• The most deprived fifth of localities are on average over 30 per cent more likely to be close to a depot than the rest of Britain.6

• As displayed by the amount of red within depot catchment areas in Figure 1, more than three quarters of the most deprived areas in Britain are within a deliverable distance of a FareShare depot.7

• FareShare depot catchment areas include, or already serve, charities in the ten most deprived local authorities in Britain.8

FareShare depots are located in areas well-positioned to supply charities

serving the most deprived neighbourhoods in Britain.

6 The most deprived areas are here defined as the most deprived fifth (20%) of Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA)

as identified by the English, Welsh and Scottish Indices of Multiple Deprivation. These indices measure deprivation along multiple dimensions, including income, employment, education, health, access to services, quality of environment and crime, producing an overall score. 7 Area/locality here is defined at LSOA level, from the UK Census. These areas typically contain 400-1200

households. Deliverable distance is approximated as within a 36km radius ‘catchment area’ for each depot. Almost all current member charities lie within this distance of their depot. 8 These included areas such as Liverpool, Kingston upon Hull, Glasgow City and Blaneau Gwent.


Figure 1. FareShare depots and multiple deprivation in England, Scotland and Wales. For the purposes of this research we have not included FareShare’s depot in Northern Ireland. Red indicates the most deprived areas and blue the least deprived. The yellow rings display a 36km radius around each depot, representing an approximate ‘catchment area’.


2.2 Member charities FareShare’s member charities are well positioned for redistributing food

to those who need it most.

• We found that 63 per cent of FareShare member charities are based in the most deprived fifth of neighbourhoods in England, Scotland and Wales.

• People who live in a deprived area are five times more likely to have a member charity in their neighbourhood. This means that 53 per cent of the most deprived areas in England and Wales are within two kilometres of a FareShare member charity - a twenty minute walk, or short bus ride.

• This varied by region, with as many as 65 per cent of deprived areas in the North West and 83 per cent of deprived areas in London within a short distance of accessing FareShare food.

• For London, Figure 2 shows how the distribution of member charities matches up with areas of deprivation, covering a large proportion of the most deprived neighbourhoods. This pattern is replicated in all five of the areas focused on in the research, which include Birmingham, Merseyside, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

• 65 per cent of member charities were located in the most health deprived areas in Britain. This is important in light of the nutritional value of FareShare food and FareShare’s educational programmes on food nutrition. Depots in Merseyside and Manchester catered to areas suffering from particularly acute health deprivation.

Our data shows that FareShare distribution is ideally located to cater for

poor communities, but there remains room to do more, particularly given

the rising need for food.


Figure 2. FareShare member charities and multiple deprivation in London. The location of charities closely aligns with patterns of high deprivation, with a majority of the most deprived areas close to at least one charity.


3 Member charities’ experience of FareShare

3.1 Why member charities join the FareShare network The two key attractions to FareShare for member charities are that:

• It offers the food they need at relatively low cost

• It helps reduce food waste in the UK

By being part of the FareShare network member charities feel they are

helping to address a pressing societal problem: food waste.

One participant explained:

3.2 How member charities use FareShare food The member charities we visited have been receiving food from FareShare for between one and five years, with some receiving food from other sources too.9 The number of deliveries they receive from FareShare range from one to three deliveries per week.

We found that FareShare’s member charities receive a wide range of food, including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, snacks, everyday items like bread and milk and occasional luxury products, like lobster. Seasonal treats like mince pies and Easter eggs are sometimes offered too.

The ingredients provided by FareShare food are then offered by charities to their beneficiaries in a range of ways:

• Hot and cold communal meals eaten at the charity. For example,

− A three course lunch for the elderly

− A hot meal for the homeless

− Snacks for young people at an after-school club

• Food for special events organised for beneficiaries

• Cooking lessons, delivered at the member charity

9 As some member charities receive food from sources other than FareShare, it is not possible to attribute all

impacts to FareShare alone. Impacts that can be attributed solely to FareShare have been highlighted.

“The amount of food that is thrown away is just criminal... There is not a food

shortage in the world… thank god that someone like FareShare pick up the pieces

and we get them.” (Member of staff at charity for homeless people)


Photograph: James Darling

Member charities receive a wide range of ingredients from FareShare that

are served to beneficiaries in a range of meals that are eaten onsite. For

example:

3.3 How FareShare food makes a difference to member charities

Staff at member charities felt FareShare food helps their service financially, operationally and socially.

Financial effects of FareShare food

• Above all, FareShare helps member charities to save money they would otherwise spend on food. This means money can be invested into other parts of their service provision.

“It's taking things from like what could have been, not a skeleton menu, but a kind

of basic menu, and it's adding like all sorts of options to it.”

(Beneficiary at drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre)


• Member charities feel FareShare offers excellent value for money compared to other food sources. This is due to the variety and high quality of food offered, in relation to the fees paid.

• Before joining FareShare, some member charities that received food donations from supermarkets had to collect this food themselves. FareShare delivers to member charities’ doors. Door to door deliveries mean member charities make savings on transport costs and staff time.

Operational effects of FareShare food

• Staff at member charities said FareShare food enables them to offer a wider repertoire of good quality food for their beneficiaries. Staff feel that this is one of the main positive impacts of being part of the FareShare network.

• The ingredients delivered by FareShare allow member charities to offer beneficiaries healthier food options. Much of FareShare’s food - which includes a wide range of vegetables, meat and fruit - was seen as crucial for the provision of healthy daily meals.

• FareShare occasionally provides member charities with luxury items and seasonal treats which member charities could not otherwise afford.

Social effects of FareShare food

• FareShare food helps member charities to attract more beneficiaries. Higher turnouts have allowed member charities to put on a wider range of activities, such as cooking sessions.

“We didn’t expect to get such nice things […] and the kids have been really

excited about that, ‘oh what's this? We never have this’, so that's been really

nice, to see that the kids appreciate some of that as well.”

(Member of staff at charity for young people)

“I enjoy cooking a meal, serving it up, hearing people, what they thought of it. It

makes you feel, it gives you a wee bit of confidence, and it makes you feel better

that you're doing something. You must be doing something right when you're

cooking, you know? I mean I've never looked at myself as being a decent cook,

but people come back and say 'This was good', and 'That was good', and 'That

was really nice', and...but to hear that, I think it's good.”



• A sense of community spirit and togetherness has resulted from FareShare food provision. FareShare food is thought to have amplified camaraderie amongst staff and beneficiaries particularly where volunteers10 are involved in food preparation, such as in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.

Being part of the FareShare network means member charities can save

money, offer beneficiaries a healthier and wider range of meals and attract

more beneficiaries.

10

Some volunteers at member charities are also beneficiaries of FareShare food.

“I think that's important for anybody [food]. I think the breaking of bread is just

universal, isn't it? It transcends cultures and everything.”



4 Beneficiaries’ experience of FareShare food Feedback about the effect of FareShare food on beneficiaries was overwhelmingly positive.

Beneficiaries are thought to have greater access to food, feel less isolated,

to be healtheir and to be better off financially.

4.1 Improved access to food Receiving provisions from FareShare is thought to greatly improve beneficiaries’ access to food.

• This was reported as most dramatic for beneficiaries who found it especially challenging to access food before engaging with their member charity. For example, for women who had fled abusive relationships, going to a public place like a supermarket or food bank could result in being found by their former partners. Receiving FareShare food through a discretely located member charity greatly reduces this risk.11

• Access to FareShare food is perceived as important and meaningful for other groups too. For example, FareShare food enables the elderly people we spoke to, to have a hot three course meal at a luncheon club, which mobility issues might have made difficult to do independently. This was described as a cherished treat for this beneficiary group. One beneficiary commented:

11

This member charity received 100 per cent of their food from FareShare.

“We really appreciate it you know and are thankful you know, really it helps us

and our families, our little ones and so we are really just thankful for that. I’m

sure we all feel that way because it’s I find for me, the first thing you think of, I

want my child to eat.”

(Beneficiary at charity for women who have experienced domestic violence)

“I don’t know what I’d do without it, I really don’t. I come here for the good

square meal and the company.”

(Beneficiary at charity for the elderly)


4.2 Increased social interaction and belonging • Beneficiaries of FareShare member charities generally consume food together onsite.

Staff and beneficiaries reported that the opportunity to communally eat meals and snacks is important. For beneficiaries recovering from drug and alcohol addiction the opportunity to mix with others over meals recreated the intimacy previously experienced within their own family homes. A beneficiary from this member charity described the ‘family feeling’ created by communal meals:

• Mealtimes are regarded as a supportive environment and a chance to forget about problems, even if for a short while. The opportunity to spend time with others in social settings was identified as an important part of the rehabilitation process; it promotes the idea of integration, which beneficiaries could then replicate in society.

• Eating communally has helped young people to make more friends. For young people attending a youth club, the snacks provided by FareShare enabled them to make friends with peers that they would not otherwise socialise with.

• Staff at a member charity for young people also observed that the youth club has become ‘a home away from home’ for growing numbers of local young people. As one member of staff explained:

“…[it is] like being at home with my kids again, all sitting round a big table. You

know, because staff join in as well, you know, [not] on different tables? It's not

like there's your staff table, or there's that group over there, and there's the

young ones here and there's the older ones there. No, it's completely different.

Everybody's just all mixed.”


“They might not have anybody at home to sit and talk to, or they can't take their

friends home, and it's a way for them to socialise after school before they go

home…to come and have a little snack, I think, some of them might not have that

much at home.”




4.3 Better health and wellbeing Physical health

• Staff and beneficiaries at a member charity for substance addiction explained the importance of gaining weight, being able to think about food and combatting malnourishment as positive and necessary parts of the recovery process. FareShare food helps facilitate this process.

Emotional and psychological wellbeing

• FareShare provides fresh raw ingredients to member charities which gives them the option of allowing beneficiaries to cook their own food. In turn, this enables member charities to offer cooking lessons. Cooking has a positive emotional and psychological impact on beneficiaries; it helps re-establish structure and routine in their day-to-day lives. Beneficiaries also felt more confident after receiving positive comments about their cooking.

• Additionally, receiving occasional luxury products is thought to positively affect beneficiaries’ emotional wellbeing. These products serve as a welcome and highly enjoyable treat, particularly for beneficiaries recovering from challenging situations. For example, a member of staff at an addictions unit explained how a beneficiary greatly enjoyed eating lobster delivered unexpectedly by FareShare:


Financial savings

• Food provided by member charities enables beneficiaries to save money they would otherwise spend on food. Consequently beneficiaries are better able to cover other expenses such as bills, clothes and transport. Being able to afford transport has meant for some beneficiaries that they can take up volunteering positions or travel around London. This was described as greatly liberating.


“There was a guy that had only been in here about two days, and he was like 'I'm

enjoying this recovery. I can't take anymore lobster today. I'll take a break for a

couple of hours'. That was a wonderful moment.”

(Member of staff at drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre)


5 Conclusions This report presents findings from research into FareShare, using GIS mapping of the FareShare network and qualitative research with five of its member charities and their beneficiaries.

5.1 Mapping FareShare As summarised below, FareShare depots were found to be well placed to provide a high degree of coverage of areas likely to be most in need of food.

• Over three quarters of the most deprived fifth of areas in the UK are within a deliverable distance (36km) of a FareShare depot. The most deprived areas are over 30 per cent more likely than other areas to be within deliverable distance of a depot.

• Almost two thirds of FareShare member charities are located in the most deprived areas. This demonstrates member charities are targeted at localities most likely to contain people in need of food. Furthermore, 65 per cent of charities were found to be located in areas suffering from the greatest health deprivation.

• The distribution of member charities across Britain also demonstrates a good degree of coverage, with more than half (53 per cent) of the most deprived areas situated within a twenty minute walk or short bus ride from a FareShare member charity.

This is a significant achievement to date but the room for expansion to help new areas and new beneficiaries is substantial. Member charities often cater to quite specific beneficiary types. So while a particular area may contain a member charity aimed at young people, there may remain a need for food among deprived adult groups in the area. With targeted expansion, FareShare’s impact on beneficiaries has the potential to spread even wider.

5.2 Member charities’ and beneficiaries’ experience of FareShare

• FareShare has allows member charities and beneficiaries to save money that they would have otherwise spend on food. FareShare food has also provides a range of other benefits for member charities and ultimately for beneficiaries with regards to organisational and social factors as well as health and wellbeing.

• Delivering surplus food through member charities that employ experienced staff means the FareShare model addresses food poverty and delivers food in ways uniquely suited to specific beneficiary types. For example:

− Beneficiaries of a member charity for drug and alcohol addiction can build up nutrition in a sustainable manner.

− A member charity for women who have experienced domestic violence can provide food discretely so as to minimise the risk of being seen by their former partners.

• By addressing very specific barriers to food and tying in comprehensive support for beneficiaries the FareShare model is a unique approach compared to models of food redistribution whereby food is solely collected and taken home.

This research highlights the capacity for FareShare to expand its provision to new charities and areas, an idea that is strongly supported by member charities and beneficiaries alike. It also demonstrates the range of positive impacts that FareShare has on its users. FareShare


appears to have reinvigorated the commitment of its member charities, and their beneficiaries, to meeting its core aim; that ‘no good food should be wasted’. Ultimately, this research illuminates and evidences FareShare’s achievements in catering to a society where large-scale food waste persists while food poverty continues to increase.

Date post:	14-Jul-2020
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	2 times
Download:	0 times

From Food Waste to Fighting Hunger · FareShare, a national charity, has been addressing this issue...

Documents