Foodbank tatties

[orkneycadian]

Travelling in on the ferry last week, there was a leaflet in the leaflet rack from the new foodbank in Kirkwall inviting donations of food. Amongst the list was "Instant Mashed Potato". They don't appear to want proper tatties....

Now, foodbank necessities aside, what kind of message does this send out to the users of foodbanks? That tatties must come out of packets, at great cost, even though you would get more nutrition if you just ate the packaging?

On the Tesco website, a packet of own brand "Smash" costs £1.25 for 176g of powdered sawdust. From Googling the instructions, you would add 880 ml (g) of water to make this up to 1,055g of gloop. So about £1.18 per kg of gloop.

Even Tesco's overpriced ordinary tatties are just 47p per kg. Farm gate price for tatties is about 16p per kg, and you would likely be able to pick up a 25 kg bag "retail" for about 30p per kg.

Foodbanks, and their supporters, could be providing tatties for just 16p per kg, but instead appear to prefer processed stuff at over 7 times the price.

Would it not just be a lot simpler if those in receipt of foodbank vouchers took them to Tescos and got their free provisions there? How inefficient must these buildings be, aside from the 7 times premium on tatties, to have to duplicate all the costs that Tesco has already borne in relation to heat, light, rates, rent, water, etc?

[sids]

You mean you actually peel them with your metal knives?

Clearly a most primitive people.

http://youtu.be/uKt-KR1TsRg

[orkneycadian]

Yes, apparantly this is stage 1 of stripping all the nutrition out, before all the other E numbers get added in to get it turned from tattie into something inorganic.

[RagnarRocks]

Might make a difference if instead of throwing vast tonnages of food into landfill, the supermarkets donated all the,best before and use by food to food banks the vast majority of it is perfectly edible and goes to waste. There would be certain items which couldn't be used or a more caution would need to be applied but on the whole its just a total waste of perfectly good food. Then at least those in need would be getting access to nutritious healthy food.

[orkneycadian]

Even if the food was just distributed at Tesco, or any other local shop. Then there would be ready access to fresh vegetables, rather than the tinned ones that the foodbanks invite donations of.

[Phill]

I think the whole foodbank 'crisis' is just a political football that is completely missing the point of its supposed endeavours.

From news articles and clips on TV, a large part of these 'food' supplies do seem to be processed muck, pop, sugary drinks etc. Easy ready food rather than useful groceries that can be cooked into cheap wholesome meals.

A stack of Onions, Carrots & Tatties will provide the base for the a range of filling meals for those on a budget.

[Mrs Bradey]

I think they will have requested "smash" as it will have a longer, more manageable shelf life then fresh veg. does dried fruit and veg still count as one of your five a day?

[joxville]

I know someone who helps run a foodbank, there are many disabled people using it so I guess a lot of them are unable to peel potatoes or other veg, so though Smash won't have the goodness of a real tattie, it's still edible.

[orkneycadian]

My understanding of foodbank vouchers is that they entitle you to 3 days worth of food. Smash, or even proper tatties would be hard pushed to go off in that time. And the foodbank, storing the food properly, would find that tatties, and as suggested above, carrots, onions, and other things like neeps will store for months.

[orkneycadian]

I know someone who helps run a foodbank, there are many disabled people using it so I guess a lot of them are unable to peel potatoes or other veg, so though Smash won't have the goodness of a real tattie, it's still edible.

I am sure plenty of disabled folk use Tesco's and the other available shops as well, but it doesnt stop them from selling ordinary tatties and veg. Charity can go an awful lot further if you can reduce the cost of the inputs by a factor of 7.

[Phill]

I suppose Smash is more convenient for those on a schedule. They could just munch some dry Smash on their way from the bookies to the pub and then once they've had a pint: Boom, instant fullness!

[orkneycadian]

They would need to be careful. If they munched a whole 176g packet, they would need 880ml of beer to re-hydrate it. "Same again please barman...."

[squidge]

To make smash you need to boil a kettle - to cook potatoes you need to boil a pan for 20 minutes or own a microwave or afford an oven and the electric or gas to cook on it. If people cannot afford food they probably cant afford electric or gas, and even if they can then at this time of year it is likely they need the energy to heat their home.

[RagnarRocks]

When I lived in Germany we used to get sheets of ice on the inside walls the kitchen was the warmest room in the place, cooking produces not only nutritious filling food but warmth for the house as well, two for one has to be a bargain. Mind I guess in some people's world that's a bit to simple. Also have you ever eaten processed food for a while its not very healthy.

[squidge]

Yep my house the kitchen is often the warmest room in the house but then I don't really have to worry too much about how much electricity I use to cook the food I like to cook. If I have to choose between heating the babies room and cooking a pan of tatties then I probably would use the smash.

[ducati]

Yep my house the kitchen is often the warmest room in the house but then I don't really have to worry too much about how much electricity I use to cook the food I like to cook. If I have to choose between heating the babies room and cooking a pan of tatties then I probably would use the smash.

Or keep the baby in the kitchen, or not have a baby, or grow veggies, or find someone that grows veggies and ask for some........

[squidge]

Or maybe not have your benefit stopped out of the blue because you didnt attend an Work Programme interview in Nairn when you had already told them you had a Work Programme Interview in Inverness at the same time.

And we still have the same problem if you ask your neighbour for veggies if you dont have the money for the electricity to cook them. not because you havent budgeted but because your money has been stopped.

[Phill]

If baby is wrapped up well, they don't need a hot room.
Too many people now have their homes at the perfect level for breeding bugs and fungi creating a wealth of constantly sick kids.

[squidge]

Who said anything about a "hot" room?

They still cant cook the tatties if they have no money for electricity.

[Bobinovich]

If they have no money for electricity then how are they expected to make the Smash up ?