Supermarket Asda and food redistribution charity FareShare are celebrating five successful years of their industry-leading food redistribution partnership, which has donated 7.8 million meals to local charities across the UK since 2013.
The partnership also incorporates Asda suppliers and third-party distributors, and works by redirecting surplus stock that is sent into Asda’s distribution centres to FareShare charity food members, avoiding the risk of the food being wasted.
Last year, the partnership donated the equivalent of 1.6 million meals to good causes – a 29% increase on the previous year – and so far this year has donated a further 1 million meals.
Today, Asda can also announce plans to redistribute its store surplus food through FareShare Go, following a successful year-long trial in the Midlands that has provided over 100,000 meals to local charities. The process, in partnership with FareShare, will enable more good food to be donated to good causes, with a further 20,000 meals per store expected to be donated locally to those in need each year. The rollout will begin in Asda’s East Yorkshire superstores in August and will be in all regions of the country by the end of 2019. Smaller supermarkets will have the ability to donate by the end of 2020.
The move comes following the launch of Asda’s Fight Hunger Create Change partnership with FareShare and the Trussell Trust that will provide an additional 24 million meals every year. Asda’s investment of at least £20m will develop FareShare and the Trussell Trust’s infrastructure, particularly in the transport and storage of fresh food, and in offering improved More Than Food services to those in food poverty.
Andy Murray, Asda’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Our customers trust that, as a food retailer, we do the right thing and make sure our surplus food is getting to those in need and not being wasted. We’ve had huge success in our partnership with FareShare to date and we’re really excited to build on this through our Fight Hunger Create Change campaign, which will mean we provide even more good food to good causes.”
Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive of FareShare, said: “We are delighted that Asda are committing to redistribute great quality surplus food from across their supply chain. Following the work we have done together on supply chain surplus we are now also going to redistribute store level surplus. Together this will add value to thousands of charities across the UK.”
