Nationwide Produce PLC Reaches 1 Million Meal Milestone with FareShare
At Nationwide Produce PLC, we’re proud to have achieved a remarkable milestone in our collaboration with FareShare, diverting over 473 tonnes of surplus produce to support charities and community groups across the UK. This significant contribution equates to an impressive 1 million meals provided through FareShare’s network.
Since partnering with FareShare over four years ago, our partnership has played a pivotal role in various initiatives, notably during the Covid Crisis project in 2020. Together with FareShare, we distributed the equivalent of 18 million meals as part of a £16 million DEFRA-funded project aimed at minimising food waste.
This contributed to the awarding of an esteemed title of ‘Leading Food Partner’ with FareShare. Moreover, Tim O’Malley, Group Managing Director of Nationwide Produce PLC, has been appointed as a trustee of FareShare and assumed the role of Chair of the Food Committee.
“We are proud to celebrate this remarkable milestone achieved through our partnership with FareShare,” said Tim O’Malley, Group Managing Director of Nationwide Produce PLC. “Our commitment to alleviating food poverty has fuelled our collaboration over the past four years, and especially in these challenging times, our support for FareShare remains crucial. As we look ahead, we’re eager to continue our journey, making a tangible difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals across the UK. We would certainly encourage anyone thinking of partnering with FareShare to do so.”
Since 2020, the impact of contributions has been immense, with 4,357 charities benefiting from the surplus fresh produce donations. This partnership has helped tackle the environmental problem of food waste and turn it into a social good, positively impacting communities across the UK.
FareShare is the only charity operating on a national scale in partnership with its network to redistribute edible surplus food to over a million people across the UK. In addition to providing food, these charities and community groups help tackle the root causes of poverty and provide vital services such as domestic violence shelters, breakfast and after school clubs and older people’s lunch clubs.
Through our partnership, FareShare’s network can support people to have better access to food, form stronger connections and reduce isolation to improve mental health. FareShare’s innovative approach makes it easy for farmers and small-scale growers to contribute surplus food, thereby minimising environmental impact while ensuring access to nutritious meals for those in need.
Simon Millard, Director of Food at FareShare, said: “We are enormously grateful to the team at Nationwide Produce for their continued support and reaching the significant milestone of providing the equivalent of 1 million meals. For the last four years, Nationwide Produce has provided surplus fresh produce to help support our network of 8,500 charities across the UK, from afterschool and breakfast clubs to hospices, domestic abuse refuges and homelessness shelters.
By providing surplus fresh produce, Nationwide has made a huge difference to ensuring that good food goes to people, not waste. Their support helps to address the environmental issue of food waste at the same time as strengthening communities across the country and ensuring people in need have access to a healthy diet.”
As we celebrate this significant milestone, we remain committed to our partnership with FareShare and continue to advocate for collaborative efforts to combatting the environmental impact of food waste across the UK.
Our partnership with FareShare embodies our core values and principles. We are honoured to stand alongside FareShare, contributing towards a future where access to quality food is a reality for everyone.
