Compass Group and Brakes have partnered to support food-redistribution charity FareShare.

Compass Group UK & Ireland and Brakes will provide FareShare with “good, in-date food that can no longer be sold to customers,” such as discontinued lines and food with packaging that is out of date because of expired promotions.

A Compass spokeswoman said it was too soon to quantify how much food would be given away. Compass was reducing waste all the time, she added.

FareShare commercial manager Colin Burcombe said Compass’s size and the involvement of Brakes, which will provide logistical support by delivering the food to the charity’s regional centres, meant the partnership had “the potential to bring significant amount of good-quality food to hundreds of frontline community projects providing meals to vulnerable people.”

FareShare redistributed 5,500 tonnes of food last year, contributing to one million meals a month and helping 62,200 people daily.

The involvement of Compass and Brakes comes just weeks after FareShare chief executive Lindsay Boswell told the environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee that only six food industry companies had effective systems for diverting waste food to help feed the poor.

He named Asda, Tesco, Nestlé, Sainsbury’s, Kellogg’s and Gerber.

Compass Group is a signatory to the Hospitality and Foodservice Agreement in which it committed to work with Wrap, the non-profit body that helps organisations meet environmental targets.

“We are committed to growing sustainably, supporting organisations like FareShare who are making a real difference in local communities and tackling key environmental challenges at the same time,” said Compass Group UK & Ireland MD Dennis Hogan.

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