Finnebrogue Artisan has announced that it has teamed up with Mash Direct, to help ease the cost-of-living pressures for their respective workforces, through the new Food Shack initiative.
The Co. Down-based food producers, which supply supermarkets across the UK and Ireland, have ‘committed products to each other on a weekly basis, which will enable them to create food bundles for staff members.’
Finnebrogue produces sausages, bacon, ham, and a range of plant-based foods from its four sites in Downpatrick, and this makes up the sources of protein within the food bundles, the company explained.
Mash Direct produces over 50 farm-fresh vegetable dishes from its family farm in Comber, and this provides a healthy five-a-day in the bundle, it added.
Cutting Back
Chris Overend, head of HR, Finnebrogue, explained how the business was motivated to take action.
“Finnebrogue employs 1,200 people across four sites in Downpatrick, and over the past 12 months, we’ve heard how our people are making spending adjustments, cutting back, and really tightening belts – and we essentially wanted to help,” Overend said.
“We introduced free breakfast and lunch options to all staff at the start of 2022, which guaranteed a warm meal each day. We extended hybrid working, with optional work-from-home days, to help reduce the fuel burden from travel costs.”
Food Shack
The Food Shack is open for a few hours each day, so that all employees have the opportunity to collect their food bundles, which the employers value at around £25 (€28) per bundle, each week.
Each employee has the opportunity shave around £100 – the equivalent cost of one week’s average food shop – from his/her food shopping bill each month.
Clare Forster, head of marketing, Mash Direct, added, “The Food Shack is a way for the food industry to work together while energy prices continue to drive inflation.”
© 2023 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
