Tesco and Waitrose back King’s challenge to tackle hunger issues
Four UK supermarkets are launching a joint campaign to tackle hunger, following a challenge from the King.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose will take part in the Let’s Make A Meal Of It campaign, which encourages customers to donate to charity FareShare either online or by rounding up their bills in store.
The campaign is a response to a challenge set by the King on his 75th birthday in 2023, when he called on the food industry to do more to close the gap between food waste and hunger.
It begins on Monday and will run for up to two weeks, with all proceeds going to the food redistribution charity FareShare, which works with 8,000 charities and community groups across the UK.
The campaign will run in Waitrose and Morrisons online, and in Tesco and Sainsbury’s online and in stores.
The supermarkets said every £1 raised will provide five meals for people facing hunger by sourcing and redistributing surplus food.
Beneficiaries will include children receiving hot meals at youth clubs during school holidays, and people experiencing loneliness who will be able to share meals in community settings.
‘Breakthrough for the food industry’
Alongside the fundraising, a new group called Alliance Food Sourcing is working to reduce the 4.6 million tonnes of food that goes to waste in the UK every year.
They are focusing on food that is often thrown away before it reaches shops, such as unused ingredients or items with damaged packaging.
This includes turning vegetable off-cuts into soups, packing leftover pasta sauce into large bags for community kitchens, and using surplus flour and sugar to make biscuits.
Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, said: “At Sainsbury’s we believe everyone should have access to good food.
“This is a breakthrough for the UK food industry to be working together in this way to tackle food poverty and just shows what is possible in delivering real and positive change.”
Matthew Barnes, UK chief executive of Tesco, said: “We are excited to support the Let’s Make A Meal Of It campaign and strengthen our partnership with FareShare.
“Collaboration is key to addressing food insecurity, and we are happy to partner on this with the other retailers.”
Rami Baitieh, chief executive of Morrisons, said: “As a food retailer and manufacturer, we are committed to tackling food waste from field to fork.
“We want to help eradicate food poverty and are delighted to play our part in this industry initiative to redistribute surplus food to people in need.”
James Bailey, managing director of Waitrose & Partners, said: “We are proud to be part of Alliance Food Sourcing to reduce food waste while tackling food insecurity.
“Working with our suppliers, we’re helping to divert surplus from our supply chain that would otherwise be wasted, to get good, nutritious food to people in need.”
By Emily Smith, PA