Premier League clubs due to host games this weekend have promised to give unwanted food to charity after matches were cancelled following the death of the Queen.
Manchester City, Liverpool, Fulham, Arsenal, Leicester City, Southampton, Bournemouth, Leeds United and Crystal Palace have all said they would ensure perishable food meant to be served at games would go to local food banks and other charities.
Premier League games regularly attract crowds in the tens of thousands, meaning huge amounts of food prepared could have been wasted at a time when rising inflation mean poverty and food bank use are on the rise. Of clubs due to host games this weekend, only West Ham has yet to clarify what will happen to unused food.
MCFC Fans Foodbank, which collects at games for the mega-rich Manchester City, called the cancellation “a tragedy” on Friday as it means hundreds of emergency meals for households in need will vanish. The Premier League is under no obligation to cancel games as a result of the Queen’s death.
Their collections outside the Etihad Stadium have become the biggest donations that Manchester Central Foodbank receive, according to the statement, “especially during one of the worst crises of our lifetimes, with food bank usage through the roof and people terrified at having to choose between fuel, powering homes, or feeding their families.”
Organisers said they expected to collect at least 250kg of food for hundreds of meals at Manchester Central Foodbank across the week.
