As well as donating excess stock to local causes such as Rhyl Salvation Army and St David’s Hospice, we’ve recently teamed up with one of our larger retailers in a bid to minimise food waste across the UK…
Under our deal with the Co-op where there is any surplus Edwards Sausages and Burgers in the Co-op distribution centre they will pass these on (alongside other chilled food items such as yoghurt, meat, fruit, vegetables) to FareShare, which distributes the food on to charities and community groups, which in turn transform it into nutritious meals for vulnerable people in 1,300 towns and cities across the UK.
Minimising food waste helps to slow down global warming and deforestation making a difference to our communities, our country and our planet – it’s a no brainer and something we’re delighted to get involved with.
Our friends at the Co-op are experts at this and have been working with FareShare since 2015. FareShare are the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste and they firmly believe that no good food should go to waste – an idea that we second here at Edwards. Last year FareShare redistributed 13,552 tonnes of surplus food to those in need and we’re proud to be a very small part of that.
The Food gets sent across the UK to people in need: including homeless hostels, children’s breakfast clubs, lunch clubs for older people, domestic violence refuges and community cafés, last year FareShare redistributed enough food for 28.6 million meals through community organisations that provide life changing support, as well as lunch and dinner.
In reference to their involvement with FareShare Steve Murrells, Chief Executive – Retail at The Co-operative Food, said: “This project has the capacity to improve the variety and nutritional value of the food redistributed by the Co-op, and to significantly increase the number of people that FareShare can support. In addition to the huge human benefit there are significant positive environmental impacts as all of this food will be diverted from anaerobic digestion back into the food chain, feeding people first as was intended.”
“Only a tiny percentage of total food waste – around 1.3 per cent – comes from the grocery retail industry*, but we are committed to reducing this. We are very grateful to all the suppliers that have agreed to support this initiative.”
