Shrewsbury Food Hub collects good surplus food from around 50 local suppliers. These suppliers share our passion for reducing food waste for environmental and social good. Here we focus on Maynard’s Farm who we have worked since 2020.
Why do Maynard’s have surplus to share…
Maynard’s cure, produce and pack a diverse range of award-winning artisan bacon and other products sourced from local pig farmers. They have several varieties of bacon and the Food Hub receives between 20kg and 60kg each week from them. The surplus is created from the end of each joint as they are not so easy to handle/get through the processing machinery. These “off-cuts” are the same bacon that can be found in retail stores, the only difference is that ours is slightly less attractive.
When asked the question, what it meant to him to find a home for his surplus produce, Rob told us: “The work that the Food Hub does is a brilliant example of providing fantastic charitable support, in a way that helps us fulfil our brand ambition of putting as much back as we can into the local community. They provide us and our employees with the greatest reward, that we are doing something great every day.”
What happens when the bacon arrives in the food hub depot…
Jo and Ginny (pictured) are our ‘chilled’ team! They spend countless hours trimming, bagging and labelling bacon. They get through countless cups of tea and have some amazing conversations! The food prep area is kept spotless to enable us to prepare the bacon. Regular checks plus the support of our food safety specialist (and trustee) Sarah Jackaman ensure we are maintaining the highest standards.
Who benefits…
The Shrewsbury Ark was one of the first groups to receive bacon. At the time they were serving three meals a day and bacon butties were a welcome addition to their menu. Osnosh in Oswestry also benefit through their community meals program. Both groups take the huge bags of frozen bacon and handle the volume no problem.
Overtime, Shrewsbury Colleges Group, Normanton Retirement Home and our community freezers have been added to our regular Maynard’s bacon delivery schedule.
The bacon also made a debut at the Border Randonnee Cycle Event this spring when a few Hubsters donned their aprons to rustle up bacon baps with a variety of toppings for the riders.
Last word from Tammy, Food Hub manager… “Meat produces much more carbon than veg so whenever we can save meat, dairy and fish, then the answer from me will always be yes! Ethically and morally, I think these products should always be used up where possible and given the respect they deserve.”
Check out Maynards Farm Shop for yourself, you may come away with more than just bacon!
If you are interested in joining Jo and Ginny on the chilled team? You can let us know!