Asda donates 1m meals as part of new fruit and veg pledge

Asda will donate the equivalent of one million meals during the start of 2025, as part of a brand-new “Winter Fruit and Veg pledge” with FareShare and the Coronation Food Project.

Running from January to March, the initiative will see over 420 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables donated to the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and tackling food waste.

The donation will support FareShare’s nationwide network of charities including afterschool and breakfast clubs, homelessness shelters, and older people’s lunch clubs. As many families face rising heating bills, FareShare will face even greater demand during the colder months, and is expected to deliver 50million meals over the winter period.

A variety of fruit & vegetables will be donated as part of the project*, including carrots, parsnips, cabbage, sprouts, pears, grapes, citrus fruits, and potatoes.

The donations will be provided via Asda’s wholly owned subsidiary IPL, and continues the support provided by IPL and Asda as part of the Coronation Food Project in 2023. IPL & Asda were an original partner to pledge support to the project and provided 1.2m Christmas dinners during the first initiative – supporting nearly 4000 charities and over 450,000 individual beneficiaries.

Jane Berry, IPL Group Managing Director, said: “Food poverty is a significant problem in the UK, and with charities in urgent need of donations during the colder months, we hope our donation of one million meals can make a big difference to those most in need in our communities.

“We are immensely proud of our strong relationship with FareShare, which spans over 13 years. In that time, we’ve developed how we make waste efficiencies while better supporting the charities and communities that our redistributed food reaches. With Winter a particularly tough time for many, we’re delighted to continue our support of FareShare through this initiative and help the vulnerable members of the community in which we operate.”

Kris Gibbon-Walsh, CEO at FareShare, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to our longstanding partner Asda for donating the equivalent of over 1 million meals this winter. These nutritious fruit and vegetables will be transformed into meals by 8,000 charities we support, helping people in need, changing lives and strengthening communities during the cold winter months. This donation will make a huge difference, thank you.”

The Winter Veg Pledge is the latest initiative launched by Asda, having recently marked eleven years of partnership with FareShare by hitting a major milestone, with the redistribution of the equivalent of 40 million meals in that time. Over 8000 charities and community groups continue to receive surplus food from Asda’s stores and depots, ensuring good food avoids going to waste and reaches those who need it most.

The donations have been made possible by redirecting surplus ingredients directly from producers within the Asda and IPL supply chain. Suppliers supporting IPL and Asda’s Winter Fruit and Veg Pledge include Poskitt Carrots, Strawson’s, Frank Clarke & Son, Benzies, Bedfordshire Growers, and Lincolnshire Field Products.

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* Fruit & vegetables to be donated will vary across the 12 weeks of the project, depending on supply and volume availability.