Tesco Ireland has launched a new campaign, The Community Chill, which will provide funding for local charities to buy fridges and freezers, so they can receive more surplus food donations to help people in need.
Tesco began its own food surplus programme in 2014, and since then has donated over four million meals to more than 260 group across Ireland.
The new initiative is part of the retailer's commitment that no surplus food suitable for human consumption will go to waste in its stores by 2020.
Food Waste
“At Tesco we believe that it’s simply not right that perfectly good surplus food should go to waste when there are people in our local communities who need it," said Andrew Yaxley, chief executive of Tesco Ireland.
“Working in partnership with over 260 charitable groups around the country and listening to their feedback we have identified that the charitable sector need a helping hand to increase their storage facilities so they can redistribute even more surplus food to those in need."
Denis Naughten, Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, welcomed today's announcement, noting that the Community Chill programme "addresses the issue of storage capacity for hundreds of local groups".
"Tesco is also the first retailer in Ireland to recently publish its food waste data leading the industry on transparent food waste reporting at this level," he added. "I believe this is central to tackling the issue of food waste and it’s time for other businesses to follow suit.”
© 2017 - Checkout Magazine by Sarah Harford
