On Friday, Andrew visited the Bread and Butter Thing (TBBT) distribution hub in Trafford Park to meet with their CEO Mark Game.
The Bread and Butter Thing redistributed over 5000 tonnes of food in 2022, equivalent to around 12 million meals. But it is not just about the food. They work in collaboration with local and national partners to bring in other expertise offering advice and practical solutions for dealing with debt, managing utilities, accessing mental health support, help with housing, employment opportunities and more.
They run a membership system, which is not means-tested, and members can buy 3 bags of shopping for £8.50. These can be picked up from local community hubs. Mark told Andrew that the bags generally contain around £40 worth of shopping at retail value, so it is a significant saving on food shopping bills.
Their supply comes from various points in the food chain in the form of surplus food. Typically, it can come from overproduction, imperfect food, food with damaged packaging or food that is close to its best before date. Waste and resources charity WRAP has estimated supply chain and household food waste in the UK was estimated at 9.5 million tonnes in 2015, with an approximate retail value of £19 billion.
Mark and his team are passionate in their mission to reduce this as much as possible, and Andrew will be looking at ways he can support them to do this. The Trussell Trust, the organisation that runs around two thirds of the food banks in the UK, went from giving out 61,468 food parcels in 2010/11, the first year of David Cameron’s government, to 2.54 million in 2020/21.
Mark told Andrew that there is a significant reduction in use of food banks amongst TBBT members. In 2022 their members saved £4.8m on their food budgets, helping to address the cost of living crisis. This along with their drive towards a less wasteful food industry, makes them a unique and valuable organisation, and I am proud that they are based in my constituency.
Mark and his team are rightly proud of the positive atmosphere at their community hubs and Andrew is keen to visit one and meet some of their fantastic volunteers and members in the next month or so.
You can read more about The Bread and Butter Thing here.