HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal kit provider, has today announced a new nationwide partnership with Scouts, supporting the Chef Badge to help young people aged 10 to 14 build lifelong cooking skills, understand good nutrition, and gain confidence in the kitchen.
The collaboration brings HelloFresh’s expertise in home cooking to more than 127,000 young people across the UK, alongside 150,000 volunteers who deliver activities through nearly 7,000 local Scout Troops. Together, HelloFresh and Scouts will empower young people aged 4–25 to follow recipes independently, develop practical kitchen skills and learn to nourish themselves for life.
As the official sponsor of the Scouts’ Chef Badge, HelloFresh will help expand the programme, supporting Scouts as they explore everything from meal prep and food safety to understanding balanced nutrition and reducing waste. Young people will be able to take part in hands-on cooking activities, from food footprint investigations to practical cooking challenges designed to build kitchen confidence.
The partnership also reinforces shared values around thoughtful food choices and sustainability. HelloFresh’s focus on reducing food waste, championing scratch cooking and making fresh meals accessible aligns closely with the Scouts’ mission to empower young people to contribute positively to society.
Phillip Doran, CEO at HelloFresh UK & Ireland, said, “Cooking is one of the most valuable life skills a young person can learn. By partnering with Scouts, we’re helping hundreds of thousands of young people gain confidence in the kitchen, understand good nutrition, and discover that preparing food from scratch can be fun, achievable and rewarding. We’re proud to support the Chef Badge and play a role in setting young people up with skills they’ll carry throughout their lives.”
Carl Hankinson, UK chief volunteer, Scouts, said: “We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with HelloFresh. At Scouts, we take pride in equipping young people with skills for life. As ‘grab-and-go’ food becomes increasingly common it’s more important than ever to teach our Scouts not only how to cook, but also the value of reducing food waste. Thanks for HelloFresh’s support, we’ve refreshed our much-loved Scouts’ Chef Activity Badge, ensuring it reflects the growing need for young people to master this essential life skill.”
The collaboration complements HelloFresh’s wider commitment to supporting communities and championing access to good food. Alongside its work with The Felix Project and other charitable partners, the company continues to help reduce food waste and make fresh, nutritious meals more accessible for families across the UK.
The new activities will be rolled out nationally, with groups able to explore a wide range of cooking challenges, from reducing food waste by turning leftovers into new meals, tracking your food footprint by exploring environmental impact of ingredients, to a flavour-experimenting task and a simple recipe challenge that builds confidence,all designed to help young people engage with cooking in a fun, hands-on way.
