Food Surplus or Cheap Food?
I would like to share a few thoughts on Morrisons proposal to reduce the price of unsold veg to provide ‘cheap veg boxes’. Morrisons, one of the big 4 supermarkets in the UK, has recently launched a scheme partnering with “To Good to Go” (a food waste app) to reduce unsold veg at the end of the day compiling this into cheap veg boxes for customers to purchase online via the To Good to Go app on a first-come, first-serve basis. This means some of the food usually redistributed to Aber Food Surplus for community benefit is being sold cheaply to customers.
I would like to highlight two key points: the role of Aber Food Surplus is extremely valuable in our community; and that cheap food is not a solution to any problem. Additionally, I would like to ask for some feedback on these thoughts, and what do you think the role of Aber Food Surplus should be in our community? If you would like to share your thoughts, or chat to the team about this please contact afscommunityhub@gmail.com
The Role of Food Surplus in Aberystwyth
Aber Food Surplus have been collecting the surplus or food waste from the back of the Morrisons for 4 nights a week for 3 years. For me, a founder of the Aber Food Surplus project, this food that would otherwise be wasted has a role to play in our community. It is bringing people in the community together over shared meals and shared community conversations, allowing the community to share skills, and is building a community knowledge base to support resilience in a changing world. This surplus food is currently shared with many local community groups, community projects and charities, and as such, the surplus food adds immeasurable value. Surplus food and the work of these groups gives vulnerable people the opportunity to give back, rather than receive charity. This food empowers people in our community to cook for each other, share, learn and give. It is more rewarding and empowering to be thanked, than to thank people because you rely on their charity. Surplus food is food revalued, as sharing a meal is a way to break down barriers, get to know each other, and build community spirit – something that the team at Aber Food Surplus believe is integral for community resilience. Following on from this, community resilience is integral to proactively tackling our current climate emergency, something which is at the core of the work and ethos of Aber Food Surplus.
Why cheap food isn’t a solution.
1. I believe our growers and food producers should be respected. Cheap food drives competition and threatens the ability of our farmers and food producers to run viable businesses.
2. Food production and feeding the population should be a rewarding job. Cheap food devalues the natural resources and environments that allow food production, as well as the labour of our food producers.
3. There is a high rate of suicide in the farming sector. I fear that cheap food will only push our producers in to worse economic situations, and farmers producing food don’t always have the purchasing power to buy healthy food for themselves. (Wales Real Food & Farming Conference, Nov, 2019)
4. Food producers and farmers are our land managers, they are key stewards of our environments, and take care of them. Unreasonable competition doesn’t encourage sustainable land management in our food system.
5. Food poverty is caused by numerous factors. Often economic factors linked to high levels of inequality in the UK, but there are many other factors too, like not having experience of healthy diets and cooking. Therefore, my understanding is that food poverty can only be tackled through addressing the issues of poverty and inequality in the UK, and through providing increased access to cooking workshops, food knowledge and more holistic education.
Food is life, and it should be a viable lifeline for a business too. Food costs should take into account the true cost of its production, for example, the people, livelihoods, processing, transportation, storage and everything else enabling it to thrive from a seed to our plate. Meaning we probably need to pay more for it. In order to do that the UK needs to tackle inequality.