I was recently reading an article about food redistribution on the BBC  website, looking at how companies such as ‘Pret a Manger’  help homeless people in London by donating unsold sandwiches to a charity whose volunteers then distribute them on the streets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10915739

I know I’ve blogged about this before, but I think its something that needs plugging as it has so many benefits both for the recipients,  the volunteers and for the companies concerned in terms of strengthening their brand.

It also fits into some of the thoughts we’ve been having in the wellbeing KLOE around encouraging people to ‘put something back’ into their community, and also about corporate social responsibility.

Birmingham has loads of sandwich shops, including a number of ‘Pret a Manger’ outlets, so we should doing this already?

Comments on my previous blog suggest something is happening in the city around turning waste into fuel, and in Oldbury with food redistribution, but I’m sure Brum could do more to help people who are just struggling to get enough to eat.

Are there companies out there that are willing to talk to us about what they do, or could do?  If so get in touch via the fairbrum blog

Some food facts

• Manufacturers waste 4.6m tonnes a year
• UK shops throw away 1.6m tonnes a year of food
• Consumers waste 4.1m tonnes a year

Source: Tristram Stuart, author of Waste