PepsiCo has expanded its partnership with food redistribution charity FairShare with a £210,000 grant.
The funding will help support two programmes aimed at tackling food waste and boosting employability in Leicestershire.
Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare, commented: “While so much edible food goes to waste on our farms every year, FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose scheme ensures farmers can get more of this good-to-eat nutritious fresh produce to people, rather than letting it go to waste.
“This partnership will also make an important contribution to our employability programme, helping hundreds of people seek long-term employment in the food industry.
“These programmes support FareShare’s mission to get more good-to-eat surplus food to people in need, helping to strengthen communities across the UK.”
These programmes support FareShare’s mission to get more good-to-eat surplus food to people in need…
The Surplus with Purpose programme aims to make it easier and more cost-effective for farmers and producers across the UK to divert surplus fresh vegetables to FareShare’s network of 8,000 charities and community organisations.
The second programme is a Leicestershire employability scheme which delivers tailored workshops, job application support and one-to-one mentoring. PepsiCo estimates the funding will help prepare over 600 local people for work.
Since December 2017, PepsiCo says it has provided more than 2,200 tonnes of surplus and donated products to charities across the UK, which are then turned into meals for people in need.
Commenting on the expansion, Jason Richards, SVP and General Manager at PepsiCo UK and Ireland, said: “We’re proud to have partnered with FareShare for over seven years to fight hunger and tackle food waste together.
“This increased support will make an even bigger difference, giving jobseekers the leg up they need to succeed, while also transforming surplus food into meals for charities and community groups across the UK.
“We’re encouraging growers in our network to sign up to the scheme as an extension of our work towards a more sustainable food system.”
The post PepsiCo expands partnership with FairShare with £210,000 grant appeared first on Circular Online.