Hull’s William Jackson Food Group invests £225k in food security for Malawi villagers

Hull-based William Jackson Food Group (WJFG) is making a £225k investment to help provide food security to a farming community in Malawi, Africa.

Owners of Abel & Cole, Aunt Bessie’s, Jackson’s Bakery and MyFresh, WJFG has committed the large sum of money to the five-year project which aims to help a community of up to 1,000 farmers become self-sufficient by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and equipment needed to create a sustainable livelihood through organic farming techniques.

Norman Soutar, chief executive of William Jackson Food Group, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of what we do at WJFG, so to be able to apply our expertise to the important pursuit of food security in Malawi is a powerful use of our knowledge and skills.”

WJFG, which expects to reach the £300m mark in sales this year, has released the first set of funds which will be used to buy seeds and livestock, as well as training programmes. The planning process has been in place for more than a year, and a dedicated project manager from WJFG has visited Malawi to ensure the initiative will deliver tangible, long-lasting results for the village.

Working alongside The Cooperative College and Malawi Organic Growers Association, WJFG’s aim is that the project will deliver substantial benefits for the Ntcheun people.

The project will give farmers the knowledge and support to become self-sufficient in producing their own food within the next 12 months. Additionally, a longer-term opportunity will be investigated to identify a route to market for surplus crops, possibly even via one or more of the WJFG food businesses.

Norman added: “Corporate social responsibility is so much more than simply being a responsible business – with projects like this one demonstrating the positive humanitarian effect we can achieve too. To be able to help those less fortunate and empower them with the means to improve their lives is something we’re immensely proud to be implementing.”