Fresh produce grower G’s Group has hit the milestone of one million meals donated to food waste charity FareShare, representing more than 450 tonnes of surplus veg saved from being dumped.
The supplier, which started donating produce to FareShare in 2016, said five G’s sites across the UK were now regularly diverting surplus fresh food – including onions, mushrooms, beetroot, lettuce and radishes – to communities via FareShare’s charity network.
G’s was able to reach the one million meals milestone after accessing funding through FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose fund, which enabled the supplier to divert higher volumes of harder-to-reach surplus food at no additional cost.
The fund – launched last year and funded by Defra and The Walmart Foundation – aims to reduce food waste by offering grants of up to £50,000 to companies to help offset the additional costs incurred when redistributing surplus food to charities, saving edible food from going to anaerobic digestion or landfill.
“G’s has been a major supplier of FareShare’s for several years and the company’s unwavering support, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, has been critical in enabling us to significantly ramp up the amount of food we get out to those most in need,” said FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell.
“However, we know that the hard work is far from over, and as we enter a recession it is likely we will see a significant increase in the number of people experiencing hardship and placed at risk of hunger,” he added. “With the support of companies like G’s we’re gearing up to ensure we can continue getting healthy fresh food to those who need it most, now and in the difficult months to come.”
Helen Peasnall, G’s head of technical and CSR, added: “It is important all citizens have access to healthy fresh produce as part of a balanced diet.
“We are pleased to have been able to support FareShare over the past five years and would encourage all fresh food business to get involved as it is an extremely valuable charity and eye-opening opportunity to focus in on waste streams.”
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