Cranswick has launched a new initiative to reduce food waste and tackle food poverty in Hull. In an industry first, the fresh food manufacturer has announced it is creating a new stakeholder collective, partnering with OLIO, the free food sharing app, Hull Food Bank and the social enterprise FULL Food in its native city of Hull, a top-10 food poverty region in the UK.
This new initiative, called the Hull Food Save Project, moves beyond the food redistribution model and uses the power of collaboration to create a new industry-leading participatory, community-based food programme, boosted using innovative technology in a showcase of how the private sector can truly drive change.
The launch of the Hull Food Save Project follows a report by End Child Poverty, which shows that more than a third of Hull children are living in poverty, with more than 20,000 children in the city living below the poverty line.*
As part of the scheme, Cranswick has committed to:
- Sponsor a full-time OLIO Community Market Maker who will manage the project to procure participating partners and help to create a wider Hull food sharing social network;
- Donate a freezer to FULL Hull and Hull Food Bank and supply them with a weekly fresh meat donation on an ongoing basis; and
- Support community sharing, which will include an emphasis on healthy eating, food skills, cooking lessons and breakfast clubs across the city.
Chris Aldersley, chief operating officer at Cranswick, said: “We’ve invested in this project because it is Cranswick’s aim to join the Hull community together to tackle the local food waste issue in a way that solves the problem at its core.
“We’ve listened to the feedback from our employees and we know food waste is an issue close to their hearts, so by actively tackling Hull’s hunger issue head on, it is our hope, as a business and as a community, that we make a difference where it matters most. We would love the Hull Food Save Project to serve as a model for tackling food waste nationwide.”
