Asda has donated 500,000 meals across the North East, to support people in crisis.
Asda, in partnership with food charity FareShare, has donated this food directly to charities and community groups via its back of store donation scheme.
One of those charities is Pickle Palace in Greenside, Newcastle, which supports their local community whilst doing their bit to try and to help the planet and has been using FareShare Go to receive surplus food from Asda.
Founder, Hannah Reay, said: “The parcels were fantastic; we were just packing everything we’d got from the supermarket. And because of Asda people are trying new food, one of our members had never tried avocado before and one of our volunteers suggested having it on toast, with a fried egg on top and now she loves it!
“There’s a lot of economic deprivation, they’ve just been isolated and many have to go without. We lay the food out and make it look lovely and it’s open to anybody, we don’t have any restrictions, we don’t have requirements, there’s no obligation to pay. People who can pay will pay more and that subsidises others who can’t afford it.”
Asda donates food such as non-chilled fruit, vegetables and eggs, dented tins and bread products which can no longer to be sold in store but are still edible. The products are then collected by charities and distributed, helping people in crisis and saving food waste. Products with a use by date are not donated.
Asda’s Zero Waste Senior Manager Karen Todd, Asda said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on charities and the people who rely on them. We are delighted to help in any way we can and will continue to look at ways we can support people in our local communities. The scheme also means we are minimising food waste which, as a company, we are passionate about eradicating.”
All Asda supermarkets and superstores donate food via FareShare Go with over 8 million meals donated this year alone.
Alyson Walsh, Commercial Director at FareShare said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Asda for their continued efforts in redistributing surplus food that has become available in their stores – especially during what has been such a tough time for so many. Being able to source good to eat, free surplus food from retailers through FareShare Go provides thousands of vulnerable people with much needed food that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to.”
