Jenni Falconer launches FUEL10K’s ‘Fuel a Breakfast’ campaign for FareShare

As porridge season officially begins, FUEL10K’s breakfast habits report has revealed that nearly half of Brits switch to a warm breakfast in autumn winter.   The research commissioned by FUEL10K and conducted by Censuswide on 2,000 UK adults has revealed over half of Brits (58%) often skip breakfast. Less than a quarter of Brits say they never skip breakfast, meaning a large proportion of the country are starting the day on an empty stomach.  With rising pressures felt from the cost of living, more households than ever across the country are accessing food support, with FareShare providing 4 meals a second – equating to 135 million meals in the last year.    According to the latest figures, an estimated 11 million people are facing food insecurity - representing nearly one in six people in the UK. Aiming to help fight food hunger this winter, for every pot or box of FUEL10K porridge purchased throughout October, FUEL10K will donate a porridge breakfast to FareShare.    Ahead of the ‘Fuel a Breakfast’ campaign launching, Jenni spent the afternoon at one of FareShare’s 34 regional centres, meeting with volunteers responsible for delivering food to charities and local community groups.    As the official ambassador for FUEL10K’s ‘Fuel a Breakfast’ campaign, Jenni commented: - “Breakfast has always been considered the most important meal so it's essential to make sure we all have something to fuel our day. I am delighted to be working with FUEL10K as they make it their mission this October to share the benefits of a nutritious breakfast and help supply Fareshare food banks with servings of porridge which will benefit thousands of frontline charities, food banks and community groups.”    “One in six face food insecurity in this country, many of them children, and we hope that this campaign will provide a nutritious start to the day for those who ordinarily might be forced to skip this meal.”  FareShare is the UK’s largest charity tackling the environmental problem of food waste for social good. All porridge donations will be distributed across its network of over 8,000 charities and community groups. Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare said: - “We are so grateful to everyone at FUEL10k for supporting the Fuel a Breakfast campaign. The donations made to FareShare from this initiative will help us get good-to-eat food, which might otherwise go to waste, to people who need it. Every day, the food we redistribute to charities in every region helps to strengthen communities. From homelessness shelters and afterschool clubs to refuges and older people’s lunch clubs, these groups are all working harder than ever to provide support people and communities. By purchasing these porridge pots and boxes, shoppers can help people affected by the cost of living crisis come together through food and access essential support services. FUEL10k’s generous support for FareShare makes a huge difference in helping us make the food go further.”      The research conducted by Censuswide for FUEL10K in September 2024 revealed that a higher proportion of younger people are often skipping breakfast. 78% of 16–24-year-olds say they regularly skip breakfast (77.69%) compared to 41% of 55+ year olds.    Greater Londoners appear to be the most time poor region when it comes to why they are skipping breakfast (35.24%), whilst Newcastle (26.87%), Manchester (27.69%), and Belfast (28.57%) residents are more likely to skip breakfast because they feel too rushed or stressed, higher than any other cities.    Brand Director at FUEL10K, Scott Chassels, said: -  “We are delighted to be partnering with Jenni to launch our ‘Fuel a Breakfast’ campaign. The importance and benefit of a nutritious breakfast is widely known, with research confirming this belief is widely held. However, it seems that although we know of its importance, far too many of us are still regularly skipping the first meal of the day.”    “Our porridge pots and sachets are quick, convenient and high in both protein and fibre. Ready in minutes and easy to enjoy on the go or at your desk, we hope that our ‘Fuel a Breakfast’ campaign can help more people to start the day with a fuller tummy - through trying our pots and sachets and in turn donating a porridge breakfast to FareShare.”    FUEL10K’s ‘Fuel a Breakfast’ campaign will run from 1st to 31st October 2024. FUEL10K porridge pots and boxes of porridge sachets are available at all major UK supermarkets instore online. FUEL10K’s Breakfast Habits report results in summary...   

• Nearly a quarter of residents in Southampton (21.43%) said the main reason for skipping breakfast is they forget to eat, higher than the national average (12.31%) 
• A higher proportion of younger people are often skipping breakfast. 78% of 16–24-year-olds say they regularly skip breakfast (77.69%) compared to 41% of 55+ year olds. The next highest group was 35–44-year-olds (70.37%) 
• UK regions skipping breakfast most often – Greater London (65.53%), Wales (62.79%) Yorkshire & Humber (63.41%), Scotland (62.42%) 
• Only 6.15% of 16–24-year-olds say they never skip breakfast  
• Greater Londoners are the most time poor region when it comes to why they are skipping breakfast (35.24%) 
• Newcastle (26.87%), Manchester (27.69%), and Belfast (28.57%) residents are more likely to skip breakfast because they feel too rushed or stressed, higher than other UK cities 
• Top reasons Brits skip breakfast: Not hungry in the morning (33.35%), Don’t have enough time in the morning (27.59%), I prefer to eat later in the day (25.26%).
• Top reasons Greater Londoners skip breakfast: Don’t have enough time in the morning (35.24%), Not hungry in the morning (25.11%), Feeling too rushed or stressed (24.67%) 
• Top reasons Scotland residents skip breakfast: Not hungry in the morning (40.77%), I prefer to eat later in the day (29.23%), Don’t have enough time in the morning (23.85%) 
• Top reasons Wales residents skip breakfast: Not hungry in the morning (34.29%), I prefer to eat later in the day (24.29%), Feeling too rushed or stressed (20%) 
• Brits' favourite porridge topping – Fresh fruit (30.05%) 
• 62.86% of 25–34-year-olds who do not always skip breakfast often eating breakfast in the office at their desk