Today, Danone UK announces a three-year partnership with national charity FoodCycle who transform surplus food into healthy, delicious meals for anyone that needs them with the help of volunteers. The partnership will deliver equivalent to over 200,000 nutritious meals to communities up-and-down the country. Thanks to this, 88 tonnes of surplus food will be saved from going to waste which will help FoodCycle in their mission to nourish communities with food and conversation.
As part of the partnership, Danone, the market leader in branded yogurts, plant-based drinks and waters in the UK and Ireland will donate £300,000 to FoodCycle. This will support the running of existing community projects, as well as the launch of new locations. Employees will also be encouraged to volunteer at a FoodCycle, as part of Danone UK’s unlimited volunteer days programme. In addition, Danone UK’s team of nutritionists and dietitians will be working closely with FoodCycle to deliver nutritional support, such as developing recipes that balance nutritional value with affordability.
Hannah Cornick, head of sustainability & social innovation at Danone UK & Ireland, said: “At Danone UK, we believe everyone should have access to healthy food – whatever their circumstance. This is why we are extremely proud to be announcing our partnership with FoodCycle. It is particularly pertinent now at a time when many are turning to community-based projects to ease the financial pressure of feeding themselves and their families. It is also why we were passionate that the partnership should include the joint development of recipes and resources, to support FoodCycle in their aim to nourish the hungry, connect communities and promote sustainable, healthy attitudes towards food.”
According to research conducted by FoodCycle, two-thirds of people accessing their services cannot afford to buy the food they need. With a further 79% of guests thinking their financial situation will worsen this year, FoodCycle’s community dining model is an important lifeline available in the community. FoodCycle’s projects offer a safe, warm space to enjoy a free cooked meal and company, helping people to save on food and electricity bills, whilst connecting with fellow members of the community.
Mary McGrath, chief executive officer of FoodCycle, adds: “Food poverty and loneliness are growing issues and with the cost-of-living continuing to increase at a rapid rate, people need our services more than ever. We are so excited to have Danone UK onboard as a partner for the next three years. Many of our projects have already welcomed members of the Danone community into the kitchen as volunteers. With this partnership, we look forward to tapping into the business’ 50+ years of knowledge and expertise in nutrition to support the FoodCycle network with training, recipes & resources.”
The FoodCycle partnership sits alongside Danone’s recently announced partnership with FoodCloud in Ireland, a social enterprise tackling the twin issues of food waste and food insecurity, to provide financial support as well as a nutrition education programme. The partnership aims to help FoodCloud increase the volume of food redistributed by 10% and grow the number of charities and community groups it supports by 50 new charities annually. It will also allow FoodCloud to distribute the equivalent of over 600,000 meals.
