Research from the UK’s largest food redistribution organisation has found over 80% of the charities it supplies are struggling to stay afloat.
Felix, the newly rebranded entity formed from the recent merger of The Felix Project and FareShare, conducted a survey of over 8,000 charities across its UK, with more than 2,700 responding. With the war in Iran driving up food and fuel prices and causing another cost-of-living crisis, research results showed 32% of charities would be forced to close if not for the surplus food they receive, while 52% would need to scale back their offer.
More and more people are facing food insecurity, noted Felix, and 41% of charities it supplies are seeing an increase in demand and a further 13% say demand has doubled in the last 12 months. The vast majority of charities (91%) provide wrap-around services such as employment support, financial and legal advice, and other activities and care, so the figures show just how precarious these vital community services could be without a reliable supply of good, nutritious, rescued food.
“The current situation is a perfect storm,” commented Charlotte Hill OBE, CEO of Felix. “Food inflation means more people simply can’t afford to feed themselves and their families and have no choice but to turn to a charity.
“At the same time the charity sector is seeing higher costs and reduced donations. That’s why The Felix Project and FareShare have come together to form a bigger more ambitious organisation, Felix. Separately both charities achieved amazing things but united we are stronger and have a much more powerful voice,” added Hill.
According to WRAP, an estimated billion meals go to waste every year. Felix works with supermarkets, restaurants, wholesalers, manufacturers, and farmers to rescue surplus food and ensure it gets redistributed to those in need. Key bakery partners include Warburtons, Hovis, Allied Bakeries, and Bright Blue Foods, who collectively donated over 640 tonnes of products last year – equivalent to 800k standard loaves of bread.
Felix currently runs seven depots across London, Liverpool, Ipswich, and Southampton, while 16 independent network partners manage a further 28 regional depots across the UK. These get food to 1.5m people a year. Last month, the government announced it would work alongside the food industry, the voluntary sector, and funders to build a plan to treble food redistribution in the UK.
More help has recently come from Cheshire-based Roberts Bakery, which announced a new partnership with regional network, FareShare Greater Manchester. This sees surplus bakery products produced at its Rudheath site near Northwich – including sliced loaves, bread, rolls and seasonal items like hot cross buns – redistributed to over 270 local community groups and charities such as school breakfast clubs, refugee support centres, homeless shelters, and community kitchens for older people.
The bakery is currently providing two lorry loads per week, amounting to around five tonnes or 5,000 loaves. The new partnership comes six months after the business was acquired by Boparan Private Office via a pre-pack deal.
“Robert’s Bakery has been part of this area for almost 140 years, and with so many of our colleagues living locally, we know first‑hand the pressures many households are facing right now,” said Will Harrop, sustainability manager at Robert’s Bakery. “As a significant local employer, we believe we have an important role to play in supporting our communities, particularly those who are dealing with rising living costs and very tight household budgets.”
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