Surplus Army rations will feed the homeless

UNUSED Army ration packs are to be given to charities supporting the homeless and lunch groups for the elderly, the Government has announced.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) says up to 20,000 unused “operational ration packs” will be donated over the next few years.

The military will provide the packs to Fareshare, a charity that distributes food to nearly 10,000 charities across Britain, including homeless hostels and lunch groups for the elderly.

The ration packs include items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each pack provides 4,000 calories, more than enough to sustain an active person over a whole day.

Tobias Ellwood, a defence minister, said: “Ration packs help provide nutritionally balanced meals to the Armed Forces on operations around the world. But charity begins at home, and I’m pleased our partnership with Fareshare will make sure no food goes to waste.” Food will not be handed directly to people on the streets. Instead, local charities will cook the food and distribute it. It is hoped charities will save on food bills, allowing them to reinvest money in support programmes.

The move follows years of campaign- ing in Parliament by Frank Field, the independent MP for Birkenhead who resigned the Labour whip last August over alleged anti-semitism in the Labour Party, and was the result of a policy review ordered by Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, last year.

Mr Field said he was delighted at the decision by the MOD and fully supports the work of Fareshare, and hoped that his constituency would not miss out.

“This is a really encouraging announcement from the Secretary of State,” he said.

“As the campaign for this reform began in Birkenhead, and given the number of homeless veterans we have across Wirral, we very much hope to receive a share of these supplies.”

Around two million ration packs are used by the military every year, with less than 1 per cent requiring disposal as a result of perishable contents.

The ration pack provides a twocourse breakfast, lunch and a threecourse dinner, including sausages in rapeseed oil, pasta rigate, balti chicken and peach slices in light syrup. Halal and kosher meals are available.

Roger West, the head of logistics at the Mod’s procurement organisation based in Bristol, said: “I am delighted to be able to provide support for this important issue and help in some way to tackle food poverty.”