Kirsten Oswald, Member of Parliament for East Renfrewshire, is backing the #FoodOnPlates campaign to stop millions of tonnes of fresh, unsold food from being wasted.
More than a quarter of all the food grown in the UK is never eaten, representing over 6% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions.
The campaign is being led by food redistribution charity FareShare, who redistributed the equivalent of 140,900 meals in East Renfrewshire last year working with 11 local organisations.
One in 8 people in the UK struggles to afford food - and the pandemic has resulted in many more families facing food insecurity, with 67% of charities providing emergency food aid saying they would have to continue, even as restrictions ease.
France offers tax breaks for businesses and redistributes 6 times more fresh unsold food to charities.
Lifeline funding to cover the additional costs faced in safely transporting and packing food ready to be redistributed to charities and community groups to feed families has been axed by the UK Government.
Kirsten Oswald said:
"Charities and community organisations in East Renfrewshire have been working tirelessly to support our community with food throughout the pandemic and beyond."
“Thanks to Fareshare, thousands of meals have been distributed to East Renfrewshire residents by local organisations.“That's why I'm backing the #FoodOnPlates campaign for funding for farmers to get their unsold fresh food to charities supporting vulnerable families, instead of having to waste it."
FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell, said:
"I'm very pleased to be working with Kirsten Oswald. Our network of frontline charities have been a lifeline for families during the pandemic, and, sadly, demand now remains at similar levels."
"It's a scandal that good food is left to rot in our fields or be thrown into biogas digesters or landfill when so many families are still dependent on food aid in the wake of the crisis, and with thousands more unable to afford healthy fruit and veg."
"France rescues six times more unsold food than we do in the UK, in part thanks to tax breaks that cover the additional costs of getting that food to charities. That's why we're calling on the UK government to reinstate landmark funding to save good food and get it onto people's plates."
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