A new partnership between a supermarket giant and a charity, supported by the Scottish Government, is set to reduce hunger in Scotland

A new partnership between a supermarket giant is set to help ease hunger across Scotland

Food from Asda will help provide meals for thousands of vulnerable people after forging a new partnership with surplus food redistribution charity FareShare.

The Scottish Government has given FareShare additional funding of up to £1 million to help people struggling with food insecurity to deal with the additional pressures caused by Brexit. The funding will allow FareShare to provide additional support to organisations like community cafes, food parcel providers and holiday clubs that provide essential assistance for people struggling to afford healthy meals. It will allow FareShare to work with these groups, to provide more meals to those in need and to help reach those in more isolated and rural areas across the country, such as the Scottish Highlands.

This funding is enabling Asda to provide thousands of meals by delivering staple ambient and frozen food to FareShare’s warehouses at cost price – meaning no profit is being made by Asda. This is in addition to the surplus food the retailer already donates from all its stores and distribution centres in Scotland.

In 2018, Asda donated 72.2 tonnes of good quality, surplus food to FareShare in Scotland, the equivalent of 170,716 meals. Asda is also donating £20m to FareShare and the Trussell Trust via the Fight Hunger Create Change partnership, which aims to support one million people in poverty across the UK.

So far, 108 additional tonnes of food has been delivered to FareShare’s four warehouses in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, with many more pallets being delivered in January to help people in need. By purchasing the food at cost price, FareShare has been able to distribute 30% more food than it otherwise would have been able to.

Stephi Brett-Lee, Asda’s senior director for community, said: “We’re really proud of our partnership with FareShare and, through this initiative, we are able to support the charity to ensure thousands of vulnerable people in communities across Scotland don’t go hungry this winter.

“We know our customers and colleagues are passionate about us tackling food insecurity and this scheme is helping us to do that right in the heart of our local communities, on top of the existing work in our Fight Hunger Create Change partnership to increase food donations and tackle the root causes of poverty.”

Gillian Kynoch, head of FareShare in Scotland, said: “Working closely with our partner Asda, we will be able to reach more low income and vulnerable people through our network of frontline organisations – such as food banks, community centres and children’s after school clubs. The funding will be used to supplement stocks of available surplus food with additional essential supplies and we welcome Asda and the Scottish Government’s continued support in helping us ensure good food gets onto the plates of people who need it most.”

Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “The Scottish Government is proud to support FareShare to redistribute surplus food to charities that support the most vulnerable and poorest people in Scotland through our Fair Food Fund. This additional £1 million was provided to help protect people and organisations across Scotland from the impact of Brexit and ensure support goes to those who are most at risk.

“This is in addition to the £3.5 million we are spending to tackle food insecurity this year. Despite the continued Brexit uncertainty we are facing, we will continue to do all we can to tackle poverty head on.”