FareShare and KFC have teamed up with the celebrity chef Big Zuu for a new campaign aimed at inspiring chefs within community kitchens to get creative with chicken recipes.
The television chef, rapper and star of Big Zuu’s Big Eats is the face of a new social media competition which will ask members of the public to recommend their favourite chicken recipe using the hashtag #DishUp, and tagging KFC’s UK pages on Instagram, TikTok or Twitter.
He will then create dishes based on 10 of the winning recipes, which then be introduced into community kitchens and made using fried chicken donated by KFC.
FareShare, which supplies nearly 8,500 community groups and kitchens with good to eat, but unsold, food from supermarkets, restaurants and suppliers, has seen demand for its services grow during the cost of living crisis, as food prices continue to soar.
About one in 20 adults, 5%, of those surveyed for the ONS’s Opinions & Lifestyle Survey, said they had run out of food and been unable to afford it at times between February and May, according to figures published in July. With geopolitical and weather events continuing to keep some commodity costs high, there are concerns those pressures will remain for the foreseeable future.
“Food prices have risen dramatically over the last year, meaning many people are finding it near impossible to access affordable food,” said FareShare COO Kris Gibbon-Walsh.
“The burden is even more pronounced over the summer holidays when many families do not have the safety net of free school meals. We’ve seen a huge uptick in the need for FareShare food as more people turn to community kitchens and support services to get by.
“That’s why our partnership with KFC is so valuable – the chicken they provide is a wonderful treat for so many people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it, and ensures that no matter what they are going through in life, people can rely on getting a good meal from their local community group.”
KFC first partnered with the charity in 2022 and aims to donate the equivalent of 12 million meals by the end of 2024.
The decision to launch the campaign was partly inspired by the fact that some community chefs had told the business that they didn’t always know what to do with the chicken donated by KFC.
KFC UK chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer Jenny Packwood said: “That’s why we want to tap into the creativity of the nation’s foodies and our KFC fans to bring some inspiration to community kitchens and help them serve up good food for people going hungry.
“We’re inspired every day by the amazing work that FareShare and its network of charities do, but despite so many people’s efforts, food poverty is on the rise across the UK. It’s not right that people are going hungry and we believe that good food, especially great chicken, should never go to waste.”
The competition will run between 8 August and 3 September. The winners will be invited to join Big Zuu while he prepares the dishes in a local community kitchen.
He said: “It shouldn’t matter who you are, where you come from, or what you’re going through – everyone deserves access to food.
“It isn’t only about sustenance; it brings people together. But right now, too many people are missing out on the joy of a good meal because of circumstances beyond their control. It’s not right and that’s what this campaign wants to change. So, British public, I need you! You donate the recipes, KFC will provide the chicken, and together we’ll dish up some delicious meals to people who need it most.”
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