Cranswick is launching a major new initiative to reduce food waste and tackle food poverty in Hull, where over 4,000 people are employed by the business. In an industry first, Cranswick is creating a new stakeholder collective, partnering with OLIO, the free food sharing App, the Hull Food Bank and the social enterprise FULL Food in their native city of Hull.
The launch of the Hull Food Save Project follows a report by End Child Poverty, which shows that more than a third of Hull children are living in poverty, with more than 20,000 children in the city living below the poverty line. The city is also in the Top 5 Food Poverty cities in the UK.
As part of the scheme, Cranswick have committed to:
- Sponsor a full time OLIO Community Market Maker, Craig Smith, who will manage the project to procure participating partners and help to create a wider Hull food sharing social network.
- Donating a freezer to FULL Hull and Hull Food Bank and supplying them with a weekly fresh meat donation on an ongoing basis.
- Support community sharing, which will include an emphasis on healthy eating, food skills, cooking lessons and breakfast clubs across the city.
Cranswick will be working with OLIO to engage the employees in the city and work with the wider Hull community to support the OLIO App initiative and facilitate an internal food sharing culture.
Chris Aldersley, chief operating officer at Cranswick said: ”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. We’ve listened to the 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. We would love the Hull Food Save Project to serve as a model for tackling food waste nationwide.”
Tessa Cook, co-founder of OLIO, said: “We’re delighted to be launching OLIO in Hull with Cranswick’s support. Food waste in the UK is a national problem but one that can be solved locally – and this innovative partnership will help in a number of ways. It is thanks to industry leaders like Cranswick who take action on food waste that the food industry will change.”
Russ Barlow, General Manager, Hull Foodbank, said: “Hull Foodbank are so excited and grateful for the work of Cranswick in initiating a community and business-based project to tackle the issues of food poverty and food waste in our area. We look forward to working with all the partners to help alleviate the very real problem of local people experiencing hunger and work towards a community that is enabled to share food that would otherwise go to waste.”
The Hull Food Save project is a build on the commitments Cranswick have already made as part of their Second Nature sustainability strategy, which includes becoming a friend of Champions 12.3. As part of this, Cranswick have already committed to reduce food loss and waste, and the Hull Food Save Project makes good progress in honoring this commitment, cementing Cranswick in a leadership position within their industry and setting a precedent on how businesses can tackle issues around sustainability.