An appeal has gone out to Manchester’s business community to reduce waste from their events and help raise £3million to put better quality food on the tables of local communities.
Menu for Change Greater Manchester is the brainchild of Corin Bell from Open Kitchen; it is asking businesses to donate the money saved by careful reductions in events food orders to support the development of shared community food growing projects over the next three years.
Over a third of Greater Manchester households worry about affording food. In Manchester and Oldham, child poverty rates (45% and 44%, respectively) are among the highest in England. Demand for food banks has skyrocketed, yet donations are declining, leaving charities struggling to keep up.
At the same time, the UK wastes over 10 million tonnes of food annually. Our unsustainable food system is a major environmental crisis, contributing to 30% of global carbon emissions.
Through the Menu for Change scheme, businesses can reduce waste to create impact, add a ‘virtual course’, round up the catering bill (per person or total) and donate the extra, make a one-off or recurring donations, and encourage guests on the day just to chip in.
Funds raised will be used to provide more nutritious produce to community food projects and channelled into the GMEF-run Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund to support shared community food growing projects.
One of the first to show support is Manchester-based architectural practice BondBryan:Fairhursts. Director Laura Sherliker said: “By carefully considering what we provided for a recent event, we were able to donate what we would have normally spent. This small shift in mindset demonstrates how, by simply providing a little less and donating the difference, we can create meaningful change.”
Daveen Wallis, co-founder of GMEF,said: “Andy Burnham, Mayor of Manchester has already made this one of his priorities and over £3m has been put towards the GMEF’s ‘Green Space Fund’ grant programme, but more is needed.
“Shared community food growing projects provide fresh, hyper-local, sustainable produce, improve diets and access to nutritious food, reduce social isolation and boost mental health.”
Open Kitchen is piloting the initiative over the next six months. More information can be found here.
