Cranswick launches redistribution programme to combat food poverty in Hull

Major premium food supplier Cranswick has launched a new collaborative initiative which will see it use a food sharing app to "go beyond redistribution" in its bid to combat food waste and hunger issues in Hull.


The Hull-based company announced on Wednesday (July 4) that it has created a stakeholder collective in its home town, partnering with food sharing app OLIO, social enterprise FULL and the Hull Food bank as it strives to become a “zero food waste” business by 2030.

Cranswick said in a statement that the initiative, called the Hull Food Save Project, will serve as a “showcase of how the private sector can truly drive change” by tackling the root causes of food poverty and food waste, rather than simply sending donations to foodbanks or redistribution platforms, where demand for fresh food frequently outstrips supply.

“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,” Cranswick’s chief operating officer, Chris Aldersley, said.

“We’ve listened to 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.”

To facilitate the project, Cranswick will sponsor a member of OLIO’s staff to manage the initiative on a full-tine basis, encouraging more organisations to take part and expand the network. It has also secured a volunteer base to simplify the process.

The firm will work with OLIO to encourage businesses and individuals across the city to list their surplus food on the app, enabling those in need to find and collect the fresh food which is nearest to them.

Scaling the food waste mountain

As part of the scheme, Cranswick has also pledged to share its expertise and funding with community food-sharing initiatives, such as breakfast clubs, cookery schemes and food skills classes.

It will additionally donate a freezer each to FULL and Hull Food Bank and send them a donation of fresh meat products every week in a bid to help feed the 20,000 children thought to be living below the poverty line across the city.

The move comes after Cranwick became an official friend of Champions 12:3 – a partnership of key government, business and society leaders aiming to drive cross-industry progress towards the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of halving food waste by 2030. Friends of the coalition are companies, rather than chief executive representatives, that have committed to fight food waste.

According to the latest figures from WRAP, the total amount of food which is wasted post-farm in the UK each year stands at 10.2 million tonnes, with supply chain waste and consumer waste remaining the two largest contributors to the UK’s food waste mountain.

Sarah George

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