Starbucks Spain has become the fifth European country to partner with Action Against Hunger, as the company look to expand efforts to tackle food waste in the retail industry, while at the same time fighting hunger in communities around the world. The programme also runs at stores in the United Kingdom, Austria, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
During the last hour of trading across the nearly 130 Starbucks stores in Spain, any fresh food nearing expiry will be sold at a 50 per cent discount. All proceeds from these sales will be donated to Action Against Hunger to fund childhood malnutrition prevention and treatment projects in nearly 50 countries across the world.
In stores across Britain, the initiative has seen over £175,000 donated to Action Against Hunger and contributed to a reduction in food waste from stores by a third since January 2018.
Álvaro Salafranca, CEO of Starbucks Spain and Portugal, said: “Handling a challenge like food waste is no simple task, but we’re proud to have developed an effective and long-term programme. Following the success of the pilot project at 30 stores in Barcelona, we’re happy to be able to expand the programme to all stores in Spain. We are very excited to partner with Action Against Hunger on this initiative which allows us to help alleviate the impact of food poverty in the world.”
Carmen Gayo, Director, Communications and Fundraising for Action Against Hunger, said: “For our organisation, the food and restaurant sector is a natural ally. Starbucks not only provides us a chance to raise funds for our projects aimed at the recovery of malnourished children with this initiative, but also allows us to spread awareness for our cause by reaching millions of customers through the hundreds of outlets the brand has in Spain with the perfect message to get them directly involved in our project. The company and Starbucks customers are now a part of the generation that can end hunger.”
Throughout the month of May, Starbucks provided an additional incentive to get customers involved and spread awareness of the food waste programme. For every social media post on either Facebook or Instagram, the company donated an additional €1 to Action Against Hunger.
