Sainsbury’s is donating one million fresh meals to support families in need this winter to mark the launch of a new partnership with FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity tackling food waste to support social good.
More than one million meals will be supplied by two of Sainsbury’s fresh food suppliers, Greencore and Cranswick, and distributed to families and those in need through FareShare over the winter period.
The donation marks the start of FareShare’s Alliance Manufacturing programme which will see Sainsbury’s and the food industry working together to utilise surplus and donated resources of any kind – food, packaging, labour and capacity – to produce more nutritious food to help people in need.
The partnership is part of the new Coronation Food Project launched by His Majesty King Charles which aims to address the growing issue of food insecurity in the UK.
The one million meals donation builds on Sainsbury’s existing efforts to address food poverty this Christmas, including continuing to redistribute surplus food from its stores through Neighbourly. The retailer is also aiming to raise £3 million for Comic Relief as part of its Nourish the Nation programme, with fundraising activity including donations from the sale of festive sandwiches and selected Christmas decorations, cards and wrap.
Simon Roberts, chief executive officer at Sainsbury’s, said: “We believe good food should be for all, but we know the reality for many communities across the UK is they need support more now than ever with access to food.
“We will support as many people and families as we can who are facing the anxiety of not knowing how, or when, they’ll next put food on the table. Working together with two of our key suppliers, Cranswick and Greencore, we will donate more than a million meals this winter.
“We will be extending the work we already do with Fareshare and the Felix Project in redistributing surplus food from our stores. Working in partnership with suppliers, we will find new ways to unlock more surplus food upstream in our supply chains and in manufacturing and production that can be repurposed for people who really need it. We’re fully committed to being part of the Coronation Food Project and this important industry-wide collaboration to make a real difference, increasing access to good food for everybody.”
George Wright, CEO of FareShare, said: “We are thrilled to have the King’s support for FareShare and our work to tackle the environmental damage of food waste and turn it into a social good. I’m also delighted at the incredible support from the retailers and manufacturers who have adopted our new model to tackle waste of all kinds, and they are already generating significantly more food for our charities as a result.
“This will be shared through our national network of over 8,500 charities and community groups across the UK supporting some of the most vulnerable people in society, such as after-school and breakfast clubs, homeless shelters, older people’s lunch clubs, and many more.
“At a time of so much need, we’re proud to be part of this initiative, joining forces with our partners right across the food industry, to get more good-to-eat food to people that need it.”
Dalton Philips, chief executive officer, Greencore, said: “Greencore has a longstanding relationship with FareShare, and this year alone, we have already donated over 1.8 million meals to people living in food poverty via FareShare. We are delighted to partner with Sainsbury’s, Cranswick and FareShare to provide one million additional meals over the winter, to ensure that even more people have access to healthy, nutritious food.”
Adam Couch, chief executive officer, Cranswick, said: “We are delighted to be working with Sainsbury’s, Greencore and Fareshare to support the launch of the Coronation Food Project; collectively providing enough food to supply over one million nutritious meals this winter. Cranswick have a long standing relationship with Fareshare, having already donated over three million servings of meat this year to those in need, and we are pleased to add further support to this important cause.”
The Coronation Food Project is a visionary new initiative led by the Prince of Wales Charitable Fund and inspired by the leadership of King Charles III. It aims to unite the food industry in the pursuit of reducing all forms of waste in the food supply chain and increase the amount of surplus food that is redistributed to those in need, thereby increasing our collective environmental and social impact.
Sainsbury’s is a founding member of FareShare and already works with them to redistribute depot food surplus, supporting nearly 8,500 frontline charities and community projects across the UK.
