Supermarkets across the UK have shown their generosity over the past two decades by supporting food distribution charities – especially in getting healthy produce and proteins onto the plates of the less fortunate.
There are often many parts to that chain, including the vast network of those who contribute to distribution, delivery and meal preparation.
In the past year, Marks and Spencer has donated the equivalent of 25.3 million meals through its supply chain. Food that would otherwise go to waste has instead been repurposed.
But this year, M&S has decided to level up that assistance. It is, in fact, investing another £1 million in an initiative with FareShare where it will provide its own “specially-developed M&S quality family meals” with 2 Sisters Food Group using those excess food products to produce 1.5 million fresh meals.
Those three meals include Vegetable Curry, Carrot & Coriander Soup, and Family Sized Pizzas.
“Making great quality, delicious and nutritious food is what we do at M&S Food and we’ve been inspired by the Coronation Food Project to go further to redistribute more meals than we ever have before,” Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food commented. “By utilising ingredients, capacity and time available within our supply chain, we’re able to donate so much more product and ultimately help more people. I’m delighted to be able to come together with our supplier partners to support FareShare throughout the year.”
Vegetables will be prominent in these meals, which M&S officials say are nutritionally balanced to serve between two and four people. Each of them has a “guaranteed” four days shelf life from their donation date. The choice of the meals was inspired by their popularity in M&S stores, and each of them has a “gold standard” of approval for health and nutrition.
In addition to working with FareShare, M&S is also partnered with Neighbourly in helping distribute those meals to 1,450 local charities and community organisations. In seven years, they have combined to donate the equivalent of 70 million meals to the needy across the UK.
