Today’s final Advent Calendar window of this year opens for North Northamptonshire Sustainable Food Network and their the ‘Full Circle’ project. The project has been made possible thanks to funding from the UK Community Renewal Fund, and is providing farmers, producers, suppliers and food retailers with a trio of online platforms to help them chart their journey to sustainability.
The project is also providing a matchmaking service that is linking hospitality businesses with producers and suppliers who have food produce that would otherwise go to waste. Here Sophie from the network tells us all about their three apps; Zellar, Food Loop and Too Good to Go:
Did you know that over a third of all food produced globally goes to waste, and in the UK, we throw away around 9.5 million tonnes every year? When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. And if food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide.
North Northamptonshire Food Network’s vision is to empower, promote and strengthen North Northamptonshire’s status as a ‘Sustainable Food Place’ – somewhere everyone can enjoy healthy, local, affordable food and where our communities can actively play a part in shaping their own food network.
The Network is committed to developing a sustainable food environment, one in which everyone can flourish. They are are striving to:
Eradicate food poverty and food inequality
Increase the profile and importance of healthy eating
Support local farmers and producers
Educate young people about growing and cooking
Encourage the ‘buy local’
theme
The Network’s Full Circle Apps saving food from landfill are:
- Zellar – a sustainability audit app that that will enable food and drink organisations to create an online profile and document their sustainability journey. Find out more about Zellar here https://zellar.com
- Food Loop – which matches businesses who may be seeking to receive or use food supplies with other businesses that have unwanted produce. Find out more about Food Loop here https://foodloop.app
- Too Good to Go – which matches vulnerable people and food banks with local excess food. Find out more about Too Good to Go here: https://toogoodtogo.co.uk
The network have also produced a map to help you locate foodbanks, food larders, community cafes, community gardens, shops, hospitality outlets, food & drink manufacturers and growers within North Northamptonshire
Please note, the teardrop icons are a variety of different colours, each representing a different type of business. To find out more about an individual organisation either click on the teardrop on the map or click on the relevant organisation’s name on the left hand side menu.
Wellingborough Eco Group’s Food Sharers and Redeem Funds are on this map. Sophie from the Network brought some goats milk soap in, via the Food Loop app, for us to share at ECO HUB tonight at Food Sharers with overstocked food from two local supermarkets. It starts at 6pm and ends at 8:30pm, all food taken needs a donation to Redeem Funds. Swap Shop is also on for extremely late Christmas shopping too! See you there…
The North Northamptonshire Food Network and their Full Circle project is being managed by Northamptonshire ACRE and Made in Northamptonshire. If you are involved in the food chain please get in touch and get involved. To do this simply email: enquiries@nnsustainablefoodnetwork.co.uk