#92 Ending Childhood Hunger (Part 1 of 2) with FareShare and Magic Breakfast

10th Mar 2021

This is one of the most pressing conversations of the moment. The extent of childhood hunger and food insecurity that exists not in third world countries, but here in the UK.

It is absolutely astounding that 1 in 8 people are food insecure coupled with the fact that a third of food is wasted along various parts of the supply chain.

To open up this discussion I’m inviting representatives  from  2 incredible organisations working to tackle these issues in their unique ways, for a fairer and more compassionate society. One where  nobody is left unseen nor hungry.

Rather than complaining or pointing out a desperate situation I want to shine  a light on these incredible charities

First I speak with Alyson Walsh, Commercial Director with responsibility for Fundraising, Marketing Communications and Volunteering at Fareshare. With 25 years’ experience in the food and retail sector, Alyson possesses a wealth of industry and consumer knowledge,

Later in this pod, I also speak with Emily Frezza (a former primary school teacher) and Alysa Remtulla from Magic Breakfast, a registered charity providing healthy breakfasts to children in the UK who arrive at school too hungry to learn.

We talk about the foundations of the charity and the scale of the issue of food insecurity amongst children in the UK. 2 million children in the UK suffer hunger and Magic Breakfast extend their expert support to their partners across 960 Primary, Secondary, ASL/Special Educational Needs Schools and Pupil Referral Units in disadvantaged areas of England and Scotland. They reach around 167,000 children to ensure they start their school day with the energy and nutrition they need to be able to make the most of their morning lessons. 

On the pod today we cover the following:

• Overview of  the problem
• What is Food insecurity – what it is, how much of an issue it is, how it’s increased since the pandemic.
• Food insecurity is a pre-pandemic problem
• How to tackle the stigma surrounding food insecurity
• The logistical issues surrounding food redistribution
• How to get involved with both Fareshare and Magic Breakfast