A NORTH-EAST Fairtrade food manufacturer hopes to help those in need during the current COVID-19 crisis.

Tropical Wholefoods, based in Sunderland, has specially created a meal-replacement snack bar which it hopes will help food banks, soup kitchens and shelters for the homeless to provide nutrition for their clients at a time when stocks of fresh or donated foods may be low.

The bar provides 15 per cent of an adult’s recommended daily calorie, protein and carbohydrate intake and is created from a range of healthy ingredients.

Richard Friend of Tropical Wholefoods said: “This is such a worrying time for everyone, and we wanted to respond quickly in a positive way.

“We know that, in the short term, those organisations which do such a great job in supporting those in need might struggle for donations of food, or to source foods which are filling and nutritious for their clients.

“To help as much as we can, we’re offering to match any purchases of the bars – for every box of 12 that we sell, we are going to donate a box to a food bank, soup kitchen or shelter for the homeless.

“We hope this initiative reflects the values of self-help and mutual aid on which Tropical Wholefoods and Fairtrade was founded.”

The bars are available for sale on the Tropical Wholefoods website: http://www.tropicalwholefoods.com For every box sold, the organisation will donate one box to a relevant cause.