Booker has donated over 20 million meals to charities and local causes thanks to its tie-up with FareShare and Olio.
The partnership, which kicked off in 2021, sees redistribution charity FareShare and food sharing app Olio work together to collect surplus food from Booker’s 190 branches, 11 distribution depots and Best Food Logistics business.
The leftover stock, including fresh produce, meat and packaged goods, is then distributed to local communities to minimise food wasted.
In 2024 alone, Booker donated over seven million meals to FareShare charities in local communities. Over 5,000 charities and community groups have benefited from donations throughout the partnership, it said.
FareShare said it continued to face record levels of demand for its services and was providing food to more organisations “than ever before”. Booker is encouraging all suppliers to donate any edible surplus to help manage demand.
“We’re delighted to have donated 20 million meals to FareShare, allowing us to reduce food waste across our business, but most importantly to continue supporting people in local communities and charities across the UK,” said Booker head of sustainability Cath Marston.
FareShare Go head Katie Sadler said: “We’re really grateful to Booker for redistributing an incredible 20 million meals’ worth of surplus food through FareShare Go. These 20 million meals have supported more than 5,000 charities and community groups, providing meals to bring people together over food and strengthening communities across the UK.”
Olio co-founder and COO Saasha Celestial-One said: “Twenty million meals is a staggering achievement, and we’re very proud that Olio and FareShare’s partnership with Booker has delivered such amazing results.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to all Booker colleagues and Olio and FareShare volunteers for helping us provide this much needed support to communities up and down the UK.”
No comments yet