Iceland Foods has redistributed over 5.5 million meals to local communities since January 2022. As part of its ongoing commitment to reduce food waste, Iceland has nearly doubled its target of redistributing 3 million meals by the end of Iceland’s financial year by an extra 2.5 million.
With the help of the food sharing app Olio, store colleagues, and volunteers, Iceland has redistributed 1,465,946 meals. This equates to 2,635 tonnes of food that would have gone to waste! Thanks to Iceland’s partnership with Olio, colleague giveaways, and strong relationships with store charities and depot charities.
Iceland does not send any unsold food to landfill – where possible putting it to good use. In total, Iceland has distributed enough meals to feed the entire population of Iceland over 10 times over. Iceland has saved in tonnes the equivalent of 13 blue whales, or 146 double decker buses!
Iceland’s efforts to redistribute meals has not only helped in feeding communities but has also worked to more sustainable economy with 762,430kg worth of CO2 emissions saved.
At Iceland, store colleagues have played a brilliant part in helping Iceland and Olio reach this milestone. One colleague said: “Sometimes it’s the little things that help and our partnership with Olio is a great way to make a difference. More and more families rely on places like Olio, and food banks. It’s fantastic not to be wasting anything and letting it go to someone who needs it.”
Richard Walker, executive chairman, Iceland Foods said: “At Iceland Foods, we are committed to fighting food waste and providing meals for members of the community who are most in need. Hitting the milestone of redistributing 5.5 million meals is an achievement we are extremely proud of, and we will continue on our journey to reduce the levels of food poverty in the UK and cut wastage that also harms the environment. We are grateful to Olio, our other partners, and store colleagues for helping Iceland in ‘Doing it Right’”.
Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO of Olio, said: “On behalf of the whole Olio team, I’d like to congratulate Iceland on this fantastic achievement – we couldn’t be prouder to have played a role in rescuing this much food. Thanks must also go to Olio’s network of 85,000 volunteers, who work tirelessly to collect food from Iceland stores and share it with members of their local community. There’s never been a more important time for businesses to take action – in the midst of both a cost of living crisis, and the climate crisis. We’d love for more and more retailers to follow in Iceland’s footsteps – making sure that good, edible food never goes to waste, but benefits the community instead.”
