FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In the run-up to every Christmas, there’s a Bragagni family tradition we have observed for the last 20 years.  It’s one I look forward to and one we wouldn’t consider changing.

On December 30th we will be spending the day helping out at a food bank.  What I do want to see change is the need for food banks.

This week some of the big Hollywood names chose to support tackling food waste.  

Benedict Cumberbatch and Cate Blanchett were among those to address the issue and I commend their decision to use their own profiles to draw attention to what we throw away – when it is perfectly fit for consumption, and there are so many in need.

Both stars were among those who gave readings at an evening of carols dedicated to raising money to tackle food poverty at the St James’s concert in Piccadilly which raised almost a quarter of a million pounds for food waste charity The Felix Project. 

Other celebrities supporting the cause included Sheila Hancock, David Morrissey, Craig David, Noah Stewart, Rory Bremner and Beverley Knight this week – joined by an audience of 500 Londoners.

The Felix Project collects food from about 170 suppliers including Tesco, Eat and Costa, and delivers it to 350 charities and primary schools, reaching 125,000 vulnerable people each week.

If this one charity is supporting 125,000 vulnerable people in the UK each week, the real picture for those going hungry or malnourished in a developed country is an appalling.

Imagine how much worse it is for those living in some of the worst slums in Kenya.  

I mention Kenya because the projects run out there by Esharelife, the charity I founded to help raise money for on-the-ground partners like AVSI, make a difference to people’s lives every single day – creating choices and opportunities by providing access to education and vocational training.

Education and better job prospects help lift people out of poverty, and they, in turn, generally want to give back.  Education leads to better living standards and is the start of a virtuous circle. Where I’m getting to with this is – we have a developed country's culture of conspicuous waste and overconsumption.  Within that culture, we have people who exist on the fringes of our communities and below the breadline. We are a developed country with a developing country’s problems buried within the foundations of our society.

There are solutions to these problems all around us.  What we need is a comprehensive plan rather than silo-working charities – brilliant though they are - and pinning our hopes on acute responses to need when highlighted by the glamorous and admired.  There is a place for big names to harness their powers, and they undoubtedly generate much bigger responses for good causes but, really, shouldn’t we be starting with how to solve the problem - while responding to the need – not simply responding to the need.