Kelvin Cheung, chief executive of FoodCycle – a community-based group that provides meals for those in need, said organisations like his were having to cope with soaring levels of demand.
In this podcast for FoodManufacture.co.uk, Cheung revealed how a wide-range of social groups were now visiting FoodCycle’s 14 kitchens across the country and discussed what more industry could do to help.
Brand issues
He acknowledged that working relationships with major retailers had improved, but said there was more work to be done with manufacturers. That was particularly true when it came to health and safety, labelling and brand issues surrounding surplus stock donations.
Cheung was speaking at the Beating the Nutrition Recession: Tackling Food Poverty Conference held by Government Knowledge last week in Central London.
Listen to the podcast to hear Cheung explain why he believed the community good and positive PR created from supporting organisations like his, far outweighed “skipping straight” to solutions like anaerobic digestion.
Meanwhile, speaking at the same conference, Professor Liz Dowler from the University of Warwick called for a parliamentary inquiry into the causes of food poverty in the UK.