UK | 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 winter.
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 - 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 efforts to address food poverty this Christmas, including continuing to redistribute surplus food from its stores through Neighbourly. The retailer also aims to raise £3 million for Comic Relief as part of its Nourish the Nation programme, with fundraising activities including donations from the sale of festive sandwiches and selected Christmas decorations, cards and gift wraps.
Simon Roberts, Chief Executive Officer at Sainsbury's, said that the retailer believes good food should be for all, as Sainsbury recognises the reality for many communities across the UK is they need more support, now more than ever, with access to food.
"We will support as many people and families as possible who are facing the anxiety of not knowing how, or when, they'll next put food on the table. Working with two of our key suppliers, Cranswick and Greencore, we will donate more than a million meals this winter," said Roberts.
"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, Sainsbury's will find new ways to unlock more surplus food upstream in our supply chains, manufacturing, and production that can be repurposed for people who need it.
George Wright, CEO of FareShare, said the organisation was 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," said Wright.
This will be shared through its 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 across the food industry to get more good-to-eat food to people that need it."
Dalton Philips, Chief Executive Officer Greencore, said that Greencore had a longstanding relationship with FareShare, and this year alone, it had already donated over 1.8 million meals to people living in food poverty.
"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," said Philips.
Adam Couch, Chief Executive Officer of Cranswick, said that Cranswick was 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 has a longstanding relationship with Fareshare, having already donated over three million servings of meat this year to those in need, and it is pleased to add further support to this vital 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 to reduce all forms of waste in the food supply chain and increase the amount of surplus food 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.
