Tesco Ireland has announced that, over the past ten years, it has donated almost 20 million meals to people living in food insecurity across Ireland.
Through its Surplus Food Donations Programme, on average, the retailer redistributes and donates up to 40,000 meals every week to over 350 charities across the country.
Marking this important milestone, Rosemary Garth, communications director, Tesco Ireland, said, “We are very proud of what has been achieved since we launched our national Surplus Food Donations Programme ten years ago.
“As a grocery retailer, we have no time for waste and are absolutely committed to ensuring that no good food goes to waste when there are people in our communities who need it.”
FoodCloud Research
New research commissioned by FoodCloud shows that families with children are the single-largest group of people accessing donations from Tesco Ireland’s Surplus Food Donations Programme.
According to the study, conducted in July of this year, families with children make up almost half (47%) of all those accessing food donations, while three quarters (75%) of community groups that distribute surplus food report that they have experienced an increased demand for food in the last six months.
Aoibheann O’Brien, co-founder of FoodCloud, added, “Tesco’s commitment to eliminating edible food waste from their stores has positioned us as a global leader in tackling food waste.
“Through our strong partnership with Tesco, we have continued to grow our impact, innovate, and push boundaries around what is possible around food redistribution. We have worked together to reduce food waste for ten years, expanding across four countries.”
