FoodCycle

In the UK, food poverty, food waste and loneliness are all major issues affecting people’s health and the future of the planet. Every year 6.4 million tonnes of household food is wasted, seven in ten families are living without the essentials and 72% of FoodCycle guests say they can’t afford to buy the food they need.

As FoodCycle celebrates 15 years of community meal provision, they are also reflecting on the huge impact that they made in 2023. Every week, thousands of volunteers across the country transform surplus food into tasty, nutritious, three-course meals, for anyone that needs them. FoodCycle has increased the number of communities they support and now dish up their weekly meals in 86 towns and cities across the UK, providing food and company to over 3,000 people every week.

2023 saw a 57% increase in the number of people accessing FoodCycle’s services and FoodCycle and their 7,000 volunteers rose to the challenge. Together they served over 127,000 community meals, opened projects in 22 new communities, launched their meals in the East Midlands, developed a signposting service to support guests, increased income by 50% as well as saving 239 tonnes of food from going to waste.