- This winter, food banks in the Trussell community expect to provide an emergency food parcel to someone every 10 seconds and FareShare anticipates delivering the equivalent of 40 million meals* this winter
- Collection runs in Tesco Express stores from 24th – 29th November and in large stores from 27th – 29th November
Tesco customers can make a huge difference to the lives of people facing hunger and hardship by donating long life items during the 13th annual Tesco Winter Food Collection.
Last year, generous Tesco customers donated 1.9 million meals worth of food at the Winter Food Collection directly to Trussell and FareShare. Both charities expect to see continued demand for their services this winter with FareShare expecting to distribute the equivalent of more than 40 million meals worth of food in communities across the UK.
Trussell research** shows over 14 million people in the UK are now facing hunger, including 3.8 million children. They predict that their community of foodbanks will need to give out an emergency food parcel every ten seconds this winter to meet need.
FareShare continues to see high levels of need and say that more than a third of charities now primarily serve families with children, or services for children.
In response to this, Tesco is once again making its pre-packed customer donation bags available in stores to make donating the most needed items as easy as possible for customers. All large stores already offer them during the supermarket’s Winter Food Collection, but this year, 86 of the largest Express stores will also stock them to make donating even easier no matter where you shop.
The bags, which typically cost between £2.00 and £4.00 are pre-filled with healthy and nutritious long-life items and can be picked up in store and paid for at the checkout. The donated food is passed to FareShare and Trussell, who will distribute it to charities and food banks to help families who need it most.
Tesco’s Winter Food Collection, the biggest in the UK, runs in its Express stores from 24th – 29th November and in large stores from 27th – 29th November.
The most-needed items according to FareShare and Trussell are:
- Cereal, oats & instant porridge
- Tinned & dried soup
- Tinned beans
Winter is typically the busiest time of year for Tesco’s charity partners who see a marked increase in the number of people needing to turn to them for support. This comes on top of an already challenging year, with food banks in the Trussell community providing 2.9 million parcels for people facing hardship in the past twelve months – a 51% increase compared to five years ago. As temperatures drop and bills continue to rise, food banks say they are now bracing themselves for another tough winter as levels of need remain exceptionally high.
Throughout the year, Tesco donates surplus food from its distribution network and stores through its charity and community partners, FareShare and Olio. Since 2012, Tesco has donated the equivalent of more than 300 million meals through FareShare alone, as part of its Community Food Connection programme.
Ashwin Prasad, Tesco UK CEO, said: “With more families than ever expected to need help with essentials this winter, along with our partners, we are encouraging customers to donate whatever they can to our Winter Food Collection. If we all pull together, we can make a big difference to lives across the UK this winter.
“It’s our 13th Winter Food Collection and the generosity of Tesco customers and their commitment to helping their local community makes me and the entire Tesco team so proud.”
Matthew Van Duyvenbode, co-chief executive at Trussell, said: “With a food parcel being given out every 10 seconds this winter, we know far too many people will be facing hunger and hardship during the festive season. Food banks are a lifeline, offering a warm welcome and a listening ear, but they will only be able to operate this winter with the generous support of the public.
“We know times are tough, but a donation can really make a difference. The Tesco Winter Collection is the perfect opportunity to help. The pre-packed donation bags make it easier than ever to support your local food bank today and help someone facing hunger today. We are so grateful to Tesco for its continued partnership and to you, our generous supporters, for making someone smile this winter.”
FareShare Chief Executive, Kris Gibbon-Walsh, said: “Food from FareShare reaches a network of over 8,000 charities across the UK, enabling them to provide food support alongside access to other vital services. In the winter months, many people accessing these local groups are forced to choose between keeping warm and eating. This makes the Tesco Winter Food Collection more important than ever. We are enormously grateful to all our colleagues at Tesco for their continued support, together we turn surplus and donated food into meals, strengthening communities and supporting those in need.
“The Tesco Winter Food Collection enables us to collect long-life, staple ingredients that complement he fresh surplus food we redistribute. If shoppers can donate just one item at their local store, they’ll be helping to provide a meal for someone facing hardship this winter.”
Michelle Woodall, Manager at DENS Foodbank, Dacorum, in Hemel Hempstead, said: “It is always inspiring to see the incredible generosity from our supporters during the Winter Food Collections. The donations we receive through this initiative make a huge difference, providing much-needed stock to help us meet the growing needs of local families and individuals facing hardship. Last year alone, the collections were 2,800 kg of food and hygiene items, from one store alone – highlighting the power of our community when they come together to help those most in need.”
Mohammed Kathrada, Project Lead at Blackburn and Darwen Youth Awareness Project, which receives food from the Winter Food Collection says: “The food we receive on a regular basis from Tesco is enormously important to our project. It really helps us to provide a service for the community, enabling our community fridge to support those families and individuals experiencing food poverty. The food we receive helps us to support young people and families struggling in life, including those who have recently come out of homelessness. During the winter, demand for our services is often higher and the additional food we receive from the Tesco Winter Food collection really makes a huge difference, we are so grateful for all the donations.”
The most needed items for FareShare and Trussell are:
- Tinned fish
- Tinned meat & pies
- Tinned vegetarian meals
- Long-life juice
- UHT milk
- Sponge & rice puddings
- Tinned fruit & vegetables
- Tea & instant coffee
- Cereals
- Cooking sauces
- Tinned beans & pulses
- Dried pasta, noodles & rice
- Tinned soup & dried pot meals
- Snacks e.g. dried fruit, nuts & biscuits
- Peanut butter, preserves & condiments
- Cooking oil
- Toilet roll
- Toiletries, such as shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and deodorant
*1 meal = 420g as per WRAP industry guidance. Based on the assumption of an average meal weighing 420g (calculated from the average of a range of typical meal weights, using data derived from Food Portion Sizes, FSA 2008). This does not imply that this many balanced meals could be made from the food surplus but illustrates what the amount of food surplus might equate to.
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