A British food charity has confirmed increases in numbers accessing affordable food clubs in Nottingham following a rise in the cost of living. It has also confirmed that 200 families in Newark and Sherwood are receiving affordable food parcels each week.
Andrew Forsey, Director of the charity, Feeding Britain stated that families are turning to food clubs now more than ever to prevent hitting rock bottom. Feeding Britain has 45 different partnerships across the UK which includes Nottinghamshire. They support affordable food clubs in Ashfield, Mansfield and Sherwood where they work to eliminate hunger and its root causes.
"I've noticed an increase in numbers of those using these centres for the first time. In a positive sense, we know that these affordable food clubs can help people stretch their budgets to prevent them from hitting rock bottom or having to skip meals. In a worrying sense, it shows how pinched people's budgets are in that we are seeing so many people access these for the first time or on a more regular basis," he said.
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Mr Forsey reported that 200 families per week receive vital food supplies in Newark and Sherwood combined. The locally grown fruit and vegetables are often provided by allotment gardeners who donate the produce.
Members of the clubs pay £3.50 per week for a box containing nutritious food which can be worth up to £15. This gives families extra support, access to food and the chance to save some money towards other bills.
He said: "Thanks to the links we have made with local affordable food clubs and allotment holders, we are at a stage with Newark and Sherwood that we can provide 200 families a week with locally grown, fresh fruit and vegetables. These families may not have had access to this otherwise."
He added: "It's helping people to save a few bob on food and other essentials. It helps people to use the money that they have saved so that they can keep on top of their utilities. It helps people to carry on shopping as much as they can and they won't need to go to food banks or go without food altogether."
Food banks, charities and affordable food clubs are reporting steady numbers of people needing their services but at the same time, supply issues are making it increasingly difficult for them to provide support.
Steve Ralf is the Chairman of Affordable Nottingham, which is a retail shop offering inexpensive foods and household goods based on Derby Road. Affordable provides a valuable community space where local residents can meet and houses a lending library too.
"We have seen significant increases of around 300 percent. We have regular customers who message us to see what we have coming in each week. In terms of people who come in, there is a slight change in who is coming in as we don't have as many students now because they are still online. We are seeing struggling families and people who are struggling to make ends meet," he said.
Steve has also noticed issues around supplies that are brought into the shop. It is a common misconception that the food stocked in the shop is all surplus but it can also be a result of mislabelling, overproduction or errors.
He said: "The area is becoming competitive because of the lack of supply. Food companies and purchasers are not being as stringent as they were once which reduces the supply. Previously, a chocolate company could mislabel a product then they would send them to us but now supermarkets are stretched for supplies so they decide to pay for products to be relabelled."
"Supply chain into supermarkets is just one reason why this is happening but Brexit and ferry issues are all part of the bigger problem."
Steve is clear on what needs to change when it comes to affordable products or surplus food chains. A number of people who shop with us have limited money but it's not the only purpose behind the shop. The space it provides for locals can have a huge effect on mental health and a sense of community belonging.
"Our shop is about making the best use of surplus and stopping stuff going to landfill. We want to encourage the social side where people can get a cuppa and a bit of cake. For a wealthy country like ours, we ought to have systems that mean people don't get into this level of crisis and they can make choices and maintain their dignity."
He added: "Shops like ours will still exist because there are other issues around our food system which by design creates surplus food. Our work with support and parcels is a sign of the structural failure of our country to look after its people. When did we let there become more food banks than McDonald's?"
