Waitrose has revealed that it is working with some of its biggest suppliers and food distribution organisation FareShare in a new trial that will redirect surplus farm food directly to families in need rather than via its stores.
Up until 30 June, Waitrose will be providing funds to FareShare to contribute to the distribution of surplus food from its farms, taking away all handling costs from farmers and helping them to maximise the number of donations they can make. This includes diverting food surplus directly from Waitrose’s own farm on the Leckford Estate.
In total, over five million surplus apples, cucumbers, crooked carrots, mushrooms, peppers, sweet baby sprouts and tomatoes will be redirected – aiming to create more than one million meals for vulnerable families.
In addition, with low levels of food surplus across protein food types, Waitrose has also purchased and will provide one million British eggs (donated by Stonegate) and almost 22 tonnes of British beef (donated by Dovecote Park) to support vulnerable families.
James Bailey, Executive Director of Waitrose, commented: “We’ve all been inspired by the brilliant work Marcus Rashford has been doing, and we believe there is now a real opportunity for the industry to stand united and help tackle food poverty right from the farm.
“While farm surplus is put to good use, we must do everything in our power to divert any edible food we can to families that need them during this pandemic. As the only supermarket to own and run its own farm, we know how much pressure farmers are under to keep the nation fed, so it’s vital this burden and cost does not rest on their shoulders. This is why we will be funding all handling costs until the end of June to get food on the plates of those that need it most. This is just the start and we hope this will lead to us achieving our goal to one day eradicate all avoidable and edible farm waste.”
