Freshly Chopped, the healthy fast-food chain, has opened its flagship outlet in Donegal Square West, and has pledged that any surplus food from the store will be donated to homeless people in the city.
Mount Charles, the foodservice giant who owns the franchise, is partnering with Belfast-based The Welcome Organisation, who will distribute unused food from the salad maker every night.
“As a food service company operating across UK and Ireland, we, of course, feel a big responsibility to minimise food waste wherever possible,” head of sales and marketing at Mount Charles, Gavin Annon, said.
“This new commitment with The Welcome Centre will mean that no good quality, fresh produce from Freshly Chopped that could be eaten will go to waste. We know that homelessness in Belfast is a serious issue and we’re glad to play a small part in helping feed people in real need.”
The Welcome Organisation
Sandra Moore, chief executive of The Welcome Organisation, thanked Freshly Chopped and Mount Charles for their support.
“By donating food, Freshly Chopped will be helping us feed some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. The food will be used in our Drop-in Centre, where we provide meals, tea and coffee, showers, laundry services and much more to up to 100 people every day of the year,” she said.
Freshly Chopped recently opened an outlet at Ulster University’s Belfast campus in October, and plans to open six more high-end stores over the next three years.
“The next stage of the Freshly Chopped expansion in Northern Ireland will be the opening of a new store in Belfast International Airport in early 2019,” Annon added.
“The brand has already proven to be an excellent investment for us, as we strive to deliver customers the greatest possible range of choice, quality, and value when it comes to our foodservice offering across the Mount Charles portfolio.”
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
