Morrisons, the grocery retailer, has strengthened its efforts to combat food waste and alleviate food poverty across the UK by partnering with the food redistribution charity FareShare and strategic delivery partner Newton.
In January 2024, the Food Foundation reported that 15% of UK households, including approximately eight million adults and three million children, were living in food insecurity.
Additionally, FareShare’s 2023/2024 annual Impact survey revealed that 86% of the charities that it supports have experienced increased demand for their services over the past year.
Food Insecurity
Rami Baitiéh, CEO of Morrisons, said, “As a fresh-food manufacturer working closely with farmers and growers, we know how much hard work goes into producing the food we sell – and as a retailer, we see the level of food insecurity that exists in the communities we serve.
“That’s why we’re committed to reducing food waste and ensuring that surplus food is donated, rather than discarded.
“Through this partnership, we’re now sending our below-specification carrots to FareShare centres, where they are sorted for those in need.
“This important initiative complements our ongoing work with other excellent charities, who help redistribute surplus food from our manufacturing sites.”
Recovered Volume
Flaxby, part of the Myton Food Group, Morrisons’ manufacturing arm, is located in North Yorkshire and packs all of Morrisons’ carrots and onions.
By utilising Newton’s strength in unlocking complexity to deliver meaningful impact, the partnership uncovered previously untapped value in surplus that could be recovered for human consumption.
Newton and Morrisons’ engineering and manufacturing teams collaborated to create an innovative solution to make the recovery of this produce possible.
Morrisons pledged to provide this recovered volume to FareShare, due to its dedication to providing good food to those who need it, instead of letting it go to waste.
The Myton team at Flaxby has worked diligently to implement waste reduction methods and identify surplus food for redistribution, as part of its ambition to ensure that all edible produce goes to human consumption.
