Andrew Gwynne MP - | Joining food donation drive at Sainsbury’s Denton

Joining food donation drive at Sainsbury’s Denton

While shoppers might normally be expected to take food away from a supermarket, for one day only customers at Sainsbury’s Denton left food behind too. The store took part in a unique one day food collection on Saturday 26^th November, where customers were asked to buy an extra item, which will then be delivered to local charities and community projects by the charity FareShare this Christmas.

The special one day food drive involving over 600 Sainsbury’s stores was run in partnership with FareShare, the national food charity that addresses hunger in the UK by redistributing quality surplus food from the food industry to people who need it across the country. Sainsbury’s has been working with FareShare since 1994 but this is the first time customers from across the country are being asked to actively take part.

Supporting the food drive on the day was local MP for Denton and Reddish, Andrew Gwynne. Andrew was at the store to speak with customers about the day and provide support to the collection.

After the drive, Andrew said:

“By taking part in this excellent initiative, shoppers in Denton and Reddish have helped to make a difference to local people suffering from food poverty. Many charities are going to benefit from the food that was collected at the Denton store, so I thank the store’s customers for doing their bit by adding an extra item to their shopping in support of this excellent initiative.”

Sainsbury’s Denton’s participation comes after a successful food trial in July involving 19 Sainsbury’s stores nationwide. 25.5 tonnes of food was collected from the three day trial, contributing enough food to feed 60,000 people.

Following the success of the trial, Sainsbury’s is now aiming to have collected enough food to make one million meals through the 700 local charities which receive food from FareShare on a daily basis.

Sainsbury’s Retail and Logistics Director, Roger Burnley, said: “The food we donate to FareShare tends to be fresh produce as this has the shortest shelf life. However, to make a nutritious meal, you need more than just fresh food, which is why we would like to give customers the opportunity to donate food during this special day and help make a difference to causes across the UK”.

Lindsay Boswell, FareShare Chief Executive, said:

“Sainsbury’s has been involved with FareShare since the beginning, working with us to ensure that good food isn’t wasted. If food cannot be sold, but can be eaten, it should always go to people first.

“With this food drive, we have a fantastic opportunity to engage with individuals: Sainsbury’s customers will be able to support hungry people in a very tangible way and generally support a charity which offers a very practical solution to the issues of food waste and food poverty.