TRADERS at St James’s Wholesale Market have partnered with Fountains Church in Bradford to divert unsold fruit and vegetables into food boxes or as ingredients to create meals to those most in need in the District.

The market will be working alongside Duncan Milwain and his team from Fountains Church to supply fresh produce that would normally be disposed and converted into renewable energy or fertiliser for crops.

Traders were delighted to take part in this initiative as it saves food from going to waste and redistributes it to help fight hunger. The concept of channelling unsold foods responsibly has always been at the forefront of many of the traders, however, the appointment of a food surplus coordinator by Fountains Church has meant having a dedicated person on site to collect any unsold fruit & vegetables each day and ensures traders can manage their businesses in an more efficient way.

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Duncan Milwain, Director of Social Enterprise and founder of many food projects across the Bradford district, said: “I’m delighted to be working with Bradford Council and its traders in what I hope will be a long term partnership. Collectively we are seeking to reduce the unnecessary environmental damage caused by food waste and also to provide an additional resource to combat food shortage and hunger for the people of Bradford.”

Fountains Church will be measuring the success and impact of the project with quarterly reviews on the number of converted meals prepared and packed inside their kitchen and food boxes supplied to families and vulnerable adults using the produce supplied by the market.

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “ We are committed to reducing food wastage wherever possible inside all our markets and I’m really pleased at the collective effort from our traders and the team at Fountains Church to ensure this will be a consistent and smooth operation.

“We as a nation, are facing one of the most difficult times of hardship and the most vulnerable need our support to keep their families protected from hunger and poverty. This initiative will provide additional support to the fantastic network of food banks we already have in the district and Duncan’s vast knowledge and experience of transforming food waste is very reassuring that this project will enhance the support we already offer to the vulnerable.”