These donations will be made through a combined effort with retail partner M&S, who will contribute more than 1m portions, with the remaining 4m meals set to be made up from surplus products and by leveraging support from supply chain partners.
This month (May 2024), the 2 Sisters facility in Thetford, Norfolk, has donated 1m portions that include co-branded FareShare and 2 Sisters products such as coated chicken steaks, coated chicken mini fillet tenders, coated boneless chicken pieces and coated bone-in chicken portions.
Meanwhile, fellow Boparan owned manufacturer Elkes Biscuits will make a donation later this year.
In November, Boparan donated 1m meals in partnership with M&S as part of the Coronation Food Project, which encourages supermarkets and manufacturers to join FareShare's innovative "Alliance Manufacturing" programme to redistribute even more surplus food to charities nationwide.
According to the latest Food Foundation tracker, 15% of UK households have experienced food insecurity in 2024 which translates to around 11m people.
‘No one should go to sleep on an empty stomach’
Commenting on the creation of the new target, Boparan said: “We have a moral responsibility to do the right thing. It cannot be right that in the UK in 2024 people are struggling to feed themselves. No-one should go to sleep on an empty stomach at night, especially not children.
“I have previously committed to supporting the King’s Coronation Food Project and in partnership with M&S, we are working to boost FareShare’s distribution efforts. However, I do feel it is time for individual companies who make food to step up and help alleviate this problem.
“This also requires a big effort from our supply chain and it’s fantastic to see so much goodwill and support. Without the support of companies like Magnavale who are storing these products for us, this entire distribution effort wouldn’t be possible.”
Meanwhile, FareShare CEO George Wright emphasised the charity’s desire to work collaboratively with the F&B sector to ensure surplus food is not wasted.
“By securing the support of partners in the supply chain to donate the equivalent of a million portions of chicken, Ranjit Singh Boparan is setting a great example to businesses across the food and manufacturing industries to share resources to help unlock the social and environmental impact of surplus food,” Wright added
“We are thrilled to see Ranjit leading the way. Working together will help us combat the environmental impact of food waste and help the 8,500 charities we support strengthen communities up and down the country.”
In other news, Tate & Lyle is set to sell its 49.7% stake in ingredients producer Primient for $350m.
