Morrisons, one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, is striving to bring communities together through their “Unsold Food Programme”. The initiative aims to end the waste of edible food in its 500 supermarkets by donating it to local community organisations. By improving access to food by all Morrisons is hoping to bring communities together.
Love Food Hate Waste
There is more than enough food produced in the world to feed everyone, yet 815 million people – one in nine – go to bed hungry every night. Moreover, around a third of the food produced globally is lost or wasted – that’s around 1.3 billion tonnes each year. It is therefore evident that food waste is a global challenge. However, there are ways to mitigate food waste and reduce food poverty.
Finding a Home
In partnership with FoodCycle, Morrisons has committed to making unsold food that is still safe to eat available for collection, including fresh fruit and vegetables, tins and packet food items. Furthermore, the small percentage of edible food in Morrisons stores that is wasted is currently used to produce energy rather than going to landfill.
Multiplier Effect
So far, Morrisons have donated have donated over 3 million products to over 400 organisations. In addition, 140,000 meals were donated to FareShare through surplus food in Morrisons’ manufacturing sites. All in all, the establishment of the initiative has meant that more people have greater access to food; as a result, they are feeling less isolated and more involved in their communities.
This story shows how Morrisons supports Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, specifically target 12.3: “By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.”
About Morrisons
Morrisons is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the UK. Founded in 1899 by William Morrison in Bradford, England it began as an egg and butter stall. It now has over 130,000 employees working across 498 superstores across England, Wales and Scotland,as well as one in Gibraltar.
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