As the new school year starts, Sustain member FareShare is calling for more fresh fruit suppliers to provide surplus produce, to help hundreds of breakfast clubs give children a healthy start to their day.
FareShare collects edible surplus food that is for some reason unsold or unsellable, and distributes it to charities that provide meals for people in need.
Research shows that children who eat a healthy breakfast benefit from better concentration and are twice as likely to perform well in tests. But with some families struggling on low incomes, or working long hours, not every child is able to eat a nutritious breakfast at home, and breakfast clubs help to fill this gap.
During the last school year, the number of children’s breakfast clubs supported by FareShare grew by 14%, to 324 clubs, with fruit particularly in demand because it is healthy and easy to serve. That demand is expected to grow as more schools join the Sugar Smart programme and swap high-sugar fruit juices for more natural alternatives.
FareShare is keen to partner with more fresh fruit suppliers to redistribute surplus produce that may be slightly less than perfect but is still good to eat. Anyone interested should visit FareShare's Giving Food page, or contact foodoffers@fareshare.org.uk.
Read more about Sustain's work on food poverty here, and about the need for a reliable way of measuring it here.
Published Sunday 21 August 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
