20 Jan 2022; MEMO: Britain's leading Charity aimed at tackling food poverty and waste, FareShare has struck an agreement with the Moroccan government to redistribute surplus food from Moroccan businesses trading in the country.
The deal was made with Morocco Foodex, which is Morocco's food export board and will see surplus food from the North African country redistributed across FareShare's network across Britain. Morocco is currently a growing exporter of fruit and vegetables to Britain, which has increased its reliance on Moroccan produce, post-Brexit.
"We are delighted to receive this food and drink from Morocco," said FareShare CEO, Lindsay Boswell. "Our 30 warehouses stand ready at short notice to receive good-to-eat nutritious food, from wherever it came in the supply chain, and get it to people who need it, quickly, especially at this time of year.
"The priority is making sure food isn't wasted but goes to people – which is the best thing to do socially, environmentally and economically with surplus food."
Yesterday, the first batch of donated food arrived at the Charity's Southampton warehouse, consisting of just over seven pallets. It will then be divided up into smaller quantities to be redistributed across FareShare's network of 10,500 charities across the country.
The head of promotion and development of Morocco Foodex, El Mehdi El Alami, was quoted as saying, "It is a partnership of which we are very proud".
"Through this initiative, we wish to show our friendship with the United Kingdom by letting as many people as possible taste our products, especially those in need in these difficult times."
The move follows the opening of a new trade link between the two countries; the so-called "Brexit buster" shipping route which will help by-pass post-Brexit traffic congestion and additional customs procedures. And reduces journey times from more than six days on the road, to just under three days.
The announcement also comes after Morocco Foodex's three-month "From Morocco to UK" campaign, which aimed to promote the Kingdom's food to British businesses and consumers. The initiative included a branded food truck travelling across the capital, delivering over 1,000 Moroccan taster meals to members of the public.
