The agreement is the latest development in Cargill’s partnership with FareShare, which has seen the food producer provide the charity with £600,000 of funding since 2009.
Cargill’s fresh chicken business general manager Chris Hall said: “By setting up a fresh chicken supply chain, Cargill is helping FareShare provide communities with access to a steady supply of safe, nutritious and affordable food.
“Cargill is delighted to expand its support to FareShare by helping to set up this critical supply chain.”
‘Critical supply chain’
About 270,000t of surplus food – the equivalent of 650M meals – from the UK food and drink industry could be redistributed to feed people each year, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
FareShare South West operations manager Charlie Mason added: “Fresh meat is the most in-demand food category for FareShare and demand always outstrips supply.
“The new Cargill chicken supply chain will supply our charity customers with a regular source of high-end protein with which to supply their service users.”
Cargill is one of a number of food and drink manufacturers with which FareShare’s programme of food surplus redistribution works.
Poultry processor 2 Sisters teamed up with the organisation in April to deliver food to 150 charities it supports in the West Midlands.
7t of its surplus stock
2 Sisters has provided more than 7t of its surplus stock to various FareShare Regional Centres since 2015, enabling the charity to provide 18,000 meals to people in need across the UK.
FareShare was one of the 27 food and drink industry companies to sign up to the Courtauld Commitment 2025 food sustainability agreement in September last year.
Other companies included Associated British Foods, Coca-Cola European Partners, Warburtons and Burtons Biscuits.
Meanwhile, discount retailer Lidl is to donate up to 2M meals a year to people facing food poverty in the UK, as part of its plans to donate food surplus to local food charities.