FOOD: Local Company Tackles Food Waste

A Ripon company is doing its bit to tackle food poverty by teaming up with a charity that serves meals made from surplus food which would otherwise have gone to waste.

Yorkshire Handmade Pies, which is based at Melmerby, will donate 30p for every box of pies sold to FoodCycle, whose volunteers turn fresh, raw ingredients donated by local supermarkets and food outlets into three-course meals.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, these were served as a full dining experience to encourage friendships between people from different backgrounds, but since Covid-19 FoodCycle now provides take-aways instead for those in need.

James Sturdy, founder of Yorkshire Handmade Pies, said: “We wanted to support a charity which aligns with our ethos around food wastage, environmental responsibilities and wellbeing beliefs.

“FoodCycle supports a wide variety of people from low-income families, people affected by homelessness to those experiencing physical and mental health problems. They exist to ensure communities have access to healthy food and they need our support now, more than ever.”