Food waste action helps groups
A SUPERMARKET’S bid to reduce food waste is helping community groups achieve their goals.
Tesco on Brewery Lane in Bridgend demonstrated how the scheme works to Bridgend council’s leader Huw David during a visit to the store.
He was accompanied on the visit by Coun Phil White, cabinet member for social services and early help, Coun Neelo Farr and Coun David White. They learned how the supermarket is working to ensure no food that could be eaten will go to waste by the end of this year.
Key to achieving that goal is Tesco’s Community Food Connection scheme, which sees the supermarket’s surplus food go to local groups.
The scheme, which is run in conjunction with the charity FareShare, uses an innovative app developed by FoodCloud. Staff in store use the app to let charities and community groups know what surplus food is available each day via a simple text message. The community groups then come into the store each evening to collect the food they want.
Volunteers from Tondu social enterprise, Steer (Support Training Enter- prise Employment), were in store for their weekly food collection and told the council members how they put it to good use.
Steer volunteer director Tracey Miles said: “We are a volunteer-led organisation and run many schemes to support vulnerable people of all different ages and abilities from our local area.
“The fresh produce used from this scheme supports us to feed our volunteers and provide a social gathering. As well as our community café, we also have a residential bunk house and volunteer hub.
“We offer a variety of engagement and training programmes which all promote sustainable development, encouraging social, economic and environmental well-being.”
With a different group allocated for each day of the week it means that seven local groups can benefit at each store and there are still available slots for collections from the Brewery Lane branch.
Charities or community groups that could benefit from the support of Community Food Connection can visit www.fareshare.org. uk/fareshare-foodcloud to register.