It doesn't look much from the outside - but an unassuming warehouse in Whiteinch is leading a dual charge against food waste and destitution.
The amazing operation is taking place at a new base run by Move On.
The charity operates a FareShare franchise for Glasgow and the west of Scotland from the hub on South Street.
Cabinet Secretary for communities Angela Constance recently attended the depot's official launch.
The 12,000 square foot centre redistributes tonnes of surplus, fresh, frozen and long-life food that would otherwise go to landfill.
Pallet upon pallet of food arrives from the supermarkets and big retailers to be sent on to charitable organisations who are supporting those people in the communities who most need it.
But the warehouse offers not only a solution for the hungry but it also provides training and life skills for vulnerable young people and those faced with homelessness.
Angela Constance said: “Everyone in Scotland should have access to fresh and healthy food.
"This fantastic new facility will help thousands of people in the region who are struggling to feed themselves, as well as providing training and life skills for vulnerable young people and those faced with homelessness."
John Hinton, executive director for Move On & FareShare Glasgow, said: “With food poverty on the rise and organisations continuously looking at ways in which to tackle both hunger and homelessness we have developed a model that offers solutions to both these issues.
“In one hand, we have Move On which supports people facing a life on the streets and provides services and opportunities for young vulnerable people.
“Then we have FareShare which has distributed in one year alone, more than 1.5 million meals.
"That’s food that’s delivered to our sixty-two community food members (CFM’s) in Glasgow and the surrounding areas."
The food that FareShare receives is surplus, quality food that’s provided at no cost by the food and drink industry.
https://youtu.be/BUzuFZo50ss
Watch: The new FareShare training and distribution hub run by Move On.
Most of the big supermarket chains, such as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's direct their surplus food to the charity.
John said: "There’s nothing wrong with the food and a lot of it is fresh.
"It’s only surplus due to things like packaging errors, out-of-date promotions or the over-ordering of product.
“This food would normally go to waste and be sent to landfill.
"Instead we process it at our depot daily and it’s sent out to charities and organisations who cook meals and feed those who need it."
Operations director Jim Burns said: "It's galling when I look at food poverty in Britain and think there's no real need for it, I know how much surplus there is in the UK.
"If we could tap in and open up all the surplus food then we could probably address it quite effectively."
* Title image. Photo credit: Dominic Cocozza.
