At FareShare Cymru we work on turning an environmental problem into a social solution. 250,000 tonnes of the food that goes to waste in the UK each year is still edible, this is enough for 650 million meals, whilst in Wales, 710,000 (23%) of people live in poverty. FareShare Cymru diverts surplus food from waste and redistributes it to charities and community groups who use it for their food projects and provide additional services.

We work with over 185 charities and communities across South Wales every week. They provide lunch clubs, community pantries, residential services such as homeless hostels and refuges. By receiving food from FareShare Cymru charities can access surplus food, use it for their food projects which support vulnerable people in their local community, and save money which they can put back in other vital services. These include accommodation, linking in with support services, training.

So far, in 2022-23 FareShare Cymru have redistributed over 1000 tonnes of food, this has provided the equivalent of over 2.5 million meals, meaning over 3100 tonnes of CO2 has not been emitted in vain. On average, over 19000 people have been supported each week.

As an environmental charity, we are always looking at ways to reduce our environmental impact. We want to reduce the amount of plastic pallet wrap we use when delivering food and the paper needed for dispatch notes by switching to using pallet nets instead of plastic wrap and having phones in our vans for e-dispatch notes. We are aiming to achieve this with the funds raised.

Read more about Green Big Give Week here: Green Match Fund 2023 (biggive.org)

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At FareShare Cymru we have an amazing team of women who are vital in the operations of our charity and are responsible for a variety of tasks. Our CEO, Sarah plays a leading role in establishing FareShare in Wales. She has the overall responsibility for leadership, management, and strategic direction of the charity.

Each year IWD highlights a specific theme. For 2023 the campaign theme is #EmbraceEquity which aims to promote conversations as to why equal opportunities are not always enough and why equal is not always fair. To embrace equity, it is important to understand the journey that is necessary for women to achieve equality. 

The head of our development team is Katie, her role focuses on the growth of the organisation and how we can support more community groups and food businesses. Assistant operations manager, Emma, works in the warehouse and directly with surplus food. Heather is a project officer who helps to look after our charity members in West Wales.

Our women volunteers also play an important role in both the warehouse, packing good quality surplus food and in operations and admin, helping the charity grow and help more people.

Tricia is a nutritional therapist and uses her knowledge to create recipes for our members. Another one of our volunteers Natasha is a marketing and communications placement student who is assisting the development team in the growth of the organisation.

For more information about International Women’s Day visit: IWD: About International Women’s Day (internationalwomensday.com)

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What are proteins?

Protein provides the body with amino acids which are necessary for muscles and important structures like the brain, nervous system, skin, and hair. Some amino acids can be made by your own body; however, others you can only get from your diet which are known as essential amino acids. There are different types of protein that supply amino acids.

Complete proteins provide all the amino acids that your body needs which are found in food such as meat, poultry, eggs and quinoa

Incomplete proteins provide some but not all the amino acids your body needs. Plant based proteins are typically incomplete proteins. But, if you eat multiple incomplete proteins such as nuts and seeds, you can get all the amino acids your body needs.   

Where can you find protein in your food?

Protein is found in a wide variety food. It can be found in either animal or plant protein sources. There is a misconception that vegetarians and vegans don’t receive enough protein in their diet. But if they eat enough plant protein sources, they are typically able to receive sufficient protein in their diet.

Foods that are high in protein include:

• Eggs
• Dairy
• Fish
• Chicken
• Soya
• Nuts and seeds
• Beans
• Tofu

Why do you need protein?

It is essential that you eat protein as a part of your diet as they help the body build, repair, and maintain body tissues. Protein can also help provide energy if your diet does not consist of enough carbohydrates. Everyone needs protein in their diet, but it can be beneficial for some people to eat more protein for different reasons.

Children need protein in their diet to help their bones grow

Athletes may need more protein to increase their muscle mass or endurance

Older adults may benefit from eating more protein as it helps prevent muscle loss that comes with aging

How much protein should be in your diet?

It is suggested that you consume roughly 0.8 – 1g of protein per 1kg of body weight daily. However, it is important to know that specific protein guidelines are heavily based on age, sex, and level of activity. If people are trying to reach a certain fitness goal, they will likely be consuming more protein.

To learn more about proteins visit: Protein – British Nutrition Foundation

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What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are a macronutrient, meaning your body requires it in your daily diet – other macronutrients include protein and fat.  The 3 main types of carbohydrates are sugar, starches, and fibre.

Sugars are a simple carbohydrate and exist in sweet food such as chocolate, milk, and fruit.

Starch is also a complex carbohydrate and is found in vegetables and cooked dry beans.

Fibre is a complex carbohydrate and is found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

These carbohydrates are broken down and digested by the body differently. Sugary foods and drinks are quickly broken down and provide a short-lasting energy boost. Starch is harder to be broken down meaning it releases energy more slowly.

Where can you find carbohydrates in your food?

Carbohydrates can be found in a variety of foods, both healthy and unhealthy. Unhealthier sources of carbohydrates are found in white bread, pastries, fizzy drinks, and foods that are highly processed.

We should aim to choose more nutrient dense healthy carbohydrate foods in our diet. These can be found in:

• Whole grains: quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, whole-grain pasta
• Fruits: berries, citrus fruits, melons, apples, bananas
• Starchy vegetables: sweet potatoes, corn, peas, carrots
• Legumes: lentils, black beans, chickpeas
• Milk products: low-fat milk, plain yogurt

Why do you need carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates play an important role in our diet. They provide a lot of energy for our body that fuel processes in our bodies. If your diet does not include enough carbohydrates you may suffer from headaches, fatigue, weakness, difficulty concentrating, nausea, constipation, bad breath and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

How much carbohydrates should be in your diet?

The World Health organisation recommends that carbohydrates should make up roughly half of your total daily calories. Therefore, if you eat 2,000 calories a day between 900 and 1,300 of those calories should be from carbohydrates, which is between 225g and 325g a day.

The amount of carbohydrates in packaged food can be found on the Nutrition Facts label which shows total carbohydrates and can include fibre, total sugars and added sugars.

To learn more about carbohydrates visit: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/starchy-foods-and-carbohydrates/

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As winter draws in and summer sunshine is a distant dream, we should be thinking about how to maintain our body stores of Vitamin D. 

There’s good reason why vitamin D is called “the sunshine vitamin.” When your skin is exposed to sunlight, it makes vitamin D from cholesterol. The sun’s ultraviolet B (UVB) rays hit cholesterol in the skin cells, providing the energy for vitamin D synthesis to occur.

Did you know that redheads are much better at manufacturing Vitamin D than other people!

Vitamin D is also found in food such as oily fish, eggs and butter.

If you were to compare how much you get from 30 minutes midday summer sun -10,000 IU- with how much you get from food, e.g. a piece of farmed salmon -330IU; or an egg 128 IU, you can see that relying on food is a tough call. Public Health England’s latest advice is that people should take a supplement of 400IU -800IU per day – which actually seems pretty low when you realise how much we get from the sun

But before we start thinking of dosage, maybe we should consider why we actually need Vitamin D. As well as strengthening our bones and muscle function and supporting our immune system, it’s now being linked to our sleep, mood, memory and brain function. It also helps insulin regulation, so helping diabetes management. Recent research  has established links between Vitamin D deficiency and other health issues like cancer, heart disease and auto immune disease.

Some people are at higher risk of having lower Vitamin D than others. These include:

• Older people – the ability to make Vitamin D declines as we age
• Pregnant women, breastfed babies, and children under the age of 5
• Those who spend most of the time indoors or covered in clothes
• Those with obesity as Vitamin D is stored in fat cells
• Those with darker skin tone
• Those living further north of the equator

Find out more on the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

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Wales Climate Week is an annual event that seeks to bring together individuals, communities, environmental groups, academics, businesses, and the public sector for an important conversation on climate change.

This year, the focus is on raising awareness of the challenges in tackling the continued threat of climate change alongside the cost-of-living crisis and how they can deliver solutions to these challenges for households across Wales. The week’s theme emphasizes public engagement and action on climate change and is delivered through a virtual conference.

How we’re making a difference

Food waste contributes greatly to the amount of carbon dioxide produced and by reducing food waste, we can ease climate change. At FareShare Cymru we support Wales Climate Week and actively work to reduce the impact of the threat of climate change.

We do this by ensuring to our best ability that surplus food, which would otherwise go to the landfill, can go to community food members who can use the perfectly edible food in their local communities. In 2020/21, we at FareShare Cymru were able to save 2649 tonnes of CO2 emissions by redistributing 857 tonnes of food that would’ve gone to waste, to charities and community groups across Wales.

Welsh Climate Week Fringe Event

This year FareShare Cymru will be hosting an online panel discussion to discuss what our suppliers and members are doing to help minimize the impact they have on the climate. The event will include three of our members – Hope Pantry, Include Hub and FoodShare Llantwit, and one of our suppliers Lewis Pies, who are all attempting to reduce their impact on the climate through good practice.

The discussion will touch on topics such as the impact of climate change and how urgent the action we take needs to be, as well as barriers, threats, and opportunities we have to change our behaviours now before. The event will also discuss the potential cost of climate change and the effect it will have on those most vulnerable in our society.

The discussion is being held on Microsoft Teams at 4 pm on 7 December. Tickets are free of charge and information is available by clicking the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/welsh-climate-week-fareshare-cymru-tickets-474746498557

Further Information

Wales Climate Week: www.climateweek.gov.wales

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This perfectly edible food can now go on help supply the local community which otherwise would have gone to waste.

Paviland Farm is a traditional family farm based in Gower that is on a journey towards regenerative farming. The farm has a rich history, tracing all the way back to the 1500s and one of its aim is to sustainably grow fresh vegetables for the local community. All of its vegetables are both natural and sustainable, and are produced without chemicals, artificial fertilisers, or plastic packaging.

Louisa Harry-Thomas, from Paviland Farm, said:

“After the peak season for pumpkins had passed, we were left with a large quantity that didn’t have a commercial market. We wanted to do the right things with these, so we reached out to FareShare Cymru to explore how we could ensure they went to people that could use them, rather than go to waste. FareShare made it so easy to both donate the pumpkins to their network of charities, but also to cover our costs in transporting them up to Cardiff. We’d be delighted to work with them again in the future.”

The SWP fund covers the costs of labour, packaging, and costs of transporting the food. By eliminating these barriers, businesses like Paviland Farm can now donate to FareShare Cymru at no additional cost. FareShare Cymru is able to offer this fund to businesses who have food to donate but aren’t able to afford the costs that come with donating food. We are aware of the struggles businesses in Wales are facing with the rise of the cost-of-living crisis and want to ensure we can do the most to support them, as well as our members, at this time.

Simon Stranks, the Food Sourcing Coordinator for FareShare Cymru, said:

“We’re thrilled to be able to support a local Welsh farm by making it cost-neutral to donate its surplus produce to FareShare Cymru. The SWP Cymru fund is entirely about unlocking surplus food, and we were pleased to work with Paviland Farm to cover the costs of transporting these pumpkins from Rhossili to Cardiff.”

The goal of the SWP fund is to make it easier and more cost-effective for businesses to donate their surplus – each year thousands of tonnes of food goes to waste unnecessarily. By making the process cost-neutral for suppliers we can ensure that individuals facing the hardest times have access to healthy and nutritious meals.

Further information

SWP Fund: The Surplus with Purpose Cymru Re-launch – FareShare Cymru
Paviland Farm: Paviland Farm
Donate: Make a donation – FareShare Cymru
Volunteer: Volunteering Opportunities – FareShare Cymru

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Throughout the day they were able to help with fulfilling the deliveries of surplus food that FareShare Cymru delivers to our members – which included spending time in the vans with our volunteer drivers and assisting in the warehouse.

The team from Briggs Equipment brought a great energy to the day and were enthusiastic to help straight away. At the end of the day, the team from Briggs told us their volunteering experience was extremely rewarding and enjoyable. For them, it was valuable opportunity to be able to see surplus food going to good places and helping those in need of it.

Working with the rest of the team from FareShare Cymru, the Briggs Equipment team expressed how friendly everyone was and it was eye opening to talk to the other volunteers about their experiences.

We would also like to thank Briggs Equipment for their extremely generous donation of £700. £1 can provide as many as 4 meals to people in need, so this donation will make a massive contribution to our mission to fight hunger and end food waste.

Corporate volunteering days at FareShare Cymru give your team the opportunity to take time out of the office and encourage team building whilst trying something different. We offer a range of volunteering tasks such as packing food pallets and helping our delivery drivers across Wales. A day at FareShare Cymru gives you the option to work with our staff to give back to the community whilst help tackling the issue of food wastage.

For further information on volunteering and how we can work with your business, email volunteer@fareshare.cymru or to make a donation visit https://fareshare.cymru/make-a-donation/

To learn more about the work that Briggs do and their environmental commitments visit: https://www.briggsequipment.co.uk/about-us/about-briggs/

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