Waitrose is announcing a significant contribution to help combat food poverty in the UK by providing surplus pasta to FareShare as part of the Coronation Food Project.
Working with its own-brand pasta supplier, Daybreak, Waitrose will divert approximately 130 tonnes of surplus pasta per year – the equivalent of 350,000 meals – to FareShare, the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors and partner of the Coronation Food Project.
Addressing a critical need highlighted by FareShare, this will provide a steady supply of pasta – a high priority and versatile staple – to catering settings and people facing food insecurity. The surplus pasta, a byproduct of the manufacturing process when machines switch between cutting different pasta shapes, is perfectly good to eat but has historically been used for animal feed or similar purposes.
James Bailey, executive director of Waitrose, comments: “We have been inspired by the ambition of the Coronation Food Project to reduce food waste while tackling food insecurity. Working with our supplier Daybreak and FareShare, we will divert 130 tonnes of perfectly edible pasta previously being fed to animals or going to anaerobic digestion to charities UK-wide. We are delighted to find this opportunity in our supply chain to get good, nutritious surplus food distributed to people in need.”
To maximise efficiency and minimise environmental impact, the pasta will be transported using existing logistics and packaged in plain bags of varying sizes to cater to a range of needs, from large-scale catering operations to family meals.
The first shipment of 34 tonnes, enough to provide the equivalent of 90,000 meals, has already arrived in the UK from Italy and is ready for FareShare to distribute through its network of charities and community groups nationwide.
Waitrose has also secured a one-off donation of 25 tonnes of its No.1 range pasta from Daybreak in 2024. This donation arose from planned changes in No.1 packaging specifications, resulting in surplus stock that will now be diverted to FareShare and redistributed.
Dame Martina Milburn DCVO CBE, Executive Chair of the Coronation Food Project, comments: “As we head towards a winter that’s bound to be a tough time for so many people, it’s inspiring to hear about Waitrose’s innovative plans to rescue more surplus food and donate it through the Coronation Food Project to people in need.”
Kris Gibbon-Walsh, CEO at FareShare, commented: “We are immensely grateful to Waitrose and Daybreak for this extraordinary contribution. Pasta is a nutritional and versatile staple, and will be a vital addition to the food we provide to our network of 8,000 charities and community groups.
“This additional support from Waitrose will help us not only prevent good food from going to waste but also make a meaningful impact in supporting families and strengthening communities across the UK.”
This initiative reflects Waitrose’s ongoing dedication to reducing food waste and strengthening community support, embodying the spirit of the Coronation Food Project. It also directly supports the supermarket’s commitment to halving food waste in its own operations and supply chains by 2030, and helping customers do the same; through the redistribution of surplus food to FareShare, supporting Trussell via customer donation points in Waitrose shops, and working with local charities through Community Matters.
