Foodloop Christmas Appeal

Dear friend of Produced in Kent,

I hope this message finds you safe and well.

COP26 has refocused our attention on the fact that the time to save our planet is limited.

I am writing to you to ask for your help in tackling an AVOIDABLE environmental, social and economic problem in Kent & Medway: food waste.

• Up to 30% of total food produced globally is lost or wasted, which equals up to 10% of total man-made GHG emissions.
• Around 70% of annual food waste generated by households and businesses in the UK is edible
• Edible surplus food and food waste from the food industry comes to around 1.9 million tonnes (Mt) annually, with a further 2.0 Mt of surplus food estimated to arise from primary production.

In Kent and Medway, we are dealing with high food waste levels but also with rising number of households depending on food banks and distributions. Foodbank dependency in Kent and Medway rose by 200% in 2020.[1]

Our initiative FOOD LOOP is trying to help solve this problem.

FOODLOOP is a business-to-business app, connecting Kent food businesses that have surplus food -growers, secondary producers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and hospitality businesses - with Kent ‘takers’ of surplus food: producers, food production companies, social supermarkets, gleaning groups, food banks and other community initiatives. FOOD LOOP aims to:

• Reduce food waste
• Put more fresh surplus food on the table and less in the anaerobic digester or landfill
• Help build our Kent community and protect our environment.

For more info, check out: www.foodloop.app.

To enable us to develop an app and run a 12-month project to build our Food Loop community, we need to raise £43,000. So far, we have raised an incredible £19,000 through an online crowdfunding campaign, LoCase and the NUNC philanthropic trust fund.

YOU can help us reach our funding target by becoming a FoodLoop Champion.

We need 50 FoodLoop Champions, each donating £500.

We want to reach this target by 23 December 2021.

In exchange for your donation, you receive:

• A Food Loop Champion logo to be used on your marketing and communication material
• Mention on all Food Loop-related promotional material and messaging output
• A ticket to the inaugural dinner of the Kent FoodLoop Champions: a group of passionate stakeholders working on the elimination of edible food waste in Kent and Medway.

Donations can be made to Produced in Kent direct. To find out how, please email: Floortje.hoette@producedinkent.co.uk.

Please help us fight food waste and create better access to good food for all in Kent and Medway. Please support FOODLOOP with your donation.

Floortje Hoette - CE Produced in Kent

This Christmas Appeal is endorsed by:

Kent County Council Leader Roger Gough, No Food Wasted Forum, Jamie Crummie – Co-Founder Too Good To Go, Nick Allen - CEO Berry Gardens, Jo James OBE – CEO Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Dr Nicola Harrison -Programme Director Growing Kent & Medway NIAB, Paul Underdown - Operations Manager Fareshare Kent, Stefano Cuomo – Owner Macknade, Rebecca Smith - Deputy CEO Social Enterprise Kent, Deirdre Wells OBE - CEO Visit Kent, Charles Tassell - Chair CLA Kent, Gavin Cleary – CEO Locate in Kent, Oluseyi Obadare – Director Medway Food Partnership, Tom Hulme – MD A.C. Hulme and Sons, Sharon Goodyer – founder and volunteer CEO Our Kitchen Thanet/Point of Light winner, Gayle Goatham – Director A.C. Goatham and Son a.o.

I am delighted to endorse the FoodLoop Christmas Appeal as laid out so clearly by Produced in Kent. We know that one of the major Earthshot awards went to the City of Milan for very much the same scheme, and my great hope is that Businesses of all sizes in Kent and Medway will support this vitally important initiative. At the time of COP 26, working together as a County is absolutely key - Amanda Cottrell OBE – Patron Produced in Kent.

[1] Stats from food- surplus-and- waste-in-the- uk-key-facts-oct-21.pdf (wrap.org.uk) and Medway Trussell Trust food bank saw 200% increase in demand during lockdown (kentonline.co.uk)