Let them eat...

[SueEllen]

I was under the impression foodbanks didn't accept fresh produce generally although I'm not sure why they are quoting a supermarket boss rather than someone from a foodbank?

I had a feeling that some accept fresh food from larger retailers/producers, so googled and found this - https://www.trusselltrust.org/2015/0...-not-fall-for/

Some Trussell Trust foodbanks, like Coventry, provide fresh produce – when available – alongside food. We wouldn’t rule out doing this on a wider scale, but logistically it’s not a sudden blanket answer for all of our foodbanks. Smaller foodbanks cannot cope with storing perishables, and batches of surplus fresh food can often be unpredictable.

Iceland used to be one of the worst for food waste, as a side-note. They would lock all their discarded (in-date) food in big cages and deliberately despoil it so nobody could rescue it. A friend was involved in the fight to change their attitude and gladly this is no longer the case.

Ahh yes the war on bin divers.....

[d000hg]

I was under the impression foodbanks didn't accept fresh produce generally although I'm not sure why they are quoting a supermarket boss rather than someone from a foodbank?

Iceland used to be one of the worst for food waste, as a side-note. They would lock all their discarded (in-date) food in big cages and deliberately despoil it so nobody could rescue it. A friend was involved in the fight to change their attitude and gladly this is no longer the case.

[SueEllen]

...anything that doesn't take a long time to cook like potatoes.

https://www.theguardian.com/business...s-iceland-boss


Some food bank users are declining to accept products such as potatoes as they cannot afford the energy to boil them, the boss of the supermarket Iceland has said, as the soaring cost of living pushes vulnerable groups to the financial brink.

Richard Walker, who says the 1,000-stores in the budget chain are in the “poorest communities in the UK”, also called on the government to help businesses that are being forced to increase prices significantly as their own costs dramatically increase.

“I think the cost of living crisis is the single most important domestic issue we are facing as a country,” the Iceland managing director told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. “It is incredibly concerning. We are hearing of some food bank users declining products such as potatoes and other root veg because they can’t afford to boil them.”

The cost of living continues to rapidly increase, with inflation rising to a three-decade high of 6.2% in February, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, fuelled by the rising cost of petrol and diesel and a wide range of goods from food to toys and games.
Walker said that, in reality, the inflation on food was actually “pushing 10%”, and was already higher on items such as milk because of the cost of all the processes involved in producing it.

He said that while some issues affecting inflation, such as supply shortages, would eventually ease, others would not, and, ultimately, the age of cheap food shopping in the UK might be over.

“Systemically, if you look at it you could argue food has been too cheap for too long but [price increases] have to be matched in wages and productivity and everything in between,” he said. “We are doing everything we can, our customers are depending on us for that value, but of course the pressure is relentless and coming at us from all angles at the moment. We are not an endless sponge that can soak it all up.”

Walker said the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, who is due toannounce a mini budget in his spring statement on Wednesday, could alleviate the pressure on businesses and help consumers.

He suggested the energy price cap on households could be extended to businesses, potentially paid for by a “windfall tax” on the rocketing profits of energy companies. That could mean an extra £100m saving on consumers, he said, pledging that Iceland “would pass on every penny”.

Walker also said the government could perhaps look to delay the introduction of the increase in national insurance, and postpone the introduction of environmental taxes, which Walker said would cost Iceland £16m this year.

“We have to focus on business as well because ultimately it is the consumer that is affected by the squeeze on cash and profits,” he said.

The Iceland managing director said costs are rising across the entire supply chain from oil, which affects the price of all food products, to worker shortages, higher transportation costs and soaring electricity bills.

He also pointed to factors including shortages in the supply of fertiliser from Russia, sunflower oil from Ukraine, and a £20m increase in the staff pay costs this year as the national minimum wage is raised.