Following in the steps of Tesco, the Co-op has taken significant action in reducing food waste by signing an agreement with the charity FareShare, which will result approximately 500 million tonnes of unsold food being given to those in need of it, the Daily Telegraph reports.
The decision follows a successful test focused around its logistical centre in Castlewood, Derbyshire. If the nationwide deployment of the project also goes to plan, then about a million meals could be distributed via charitable foundations during 2016, directly from the Co-op.
Steve Murrells, retail chief executive of the chain, 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.”
He added, “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.”
CEO of FareShare, Lindsay Boswell, commented, “We’re really excited to be working with The Co-operative on this project and we commend them for rolling it out nationwide. It’s been fantastic to see how well the new process has worked at Castlewood, helping to provide thousands of meals to vulnerable people in Yorkshire. By working with their suppliers, staff and FareShare Regional Centres, The Co-operative has demonstrated real commitment to preventing food waste in the long term and to providing edible surplus food to projects supporting vulnerable people across England, Wales and Scotland.”
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
