Tesco donates more than 56,000 meals to Limerick charities

More than 56,000 meals made up of surplus food from Tesco stores in Limerick have been donated to local charities across the county since the roll-out of its FoodCloud partnership last July.

A variety of Limerick-based charities are receiving food donations from their local Tesco store on a weekly basis to help support their community causes which includes helping the homeless, meals on wheels delivery services or weekly socialising dinners for the elderly.

 Geoff Byrne, Chief Operating Officer Tesco Ireland said; “Despite our best efforts, at the end of each day, we do end up with surplus food on our shelves, so it has been hugely rewarding to be able to turn a retail challenge into a positive output for those who need it most.”

Recognising the positive impact of the initiative, and leading the charge in tackling food waste in the retail industry, Tesco is now encouraging customers across Limerick to take a look at their own ‘waste-line’ to see if they can reduce their food waste by just 1kg per week (or one bag of sugar), saving up to 114 meals* per year and also benefiting their pockets.

 

“Finding a solution where the benefits are twofold for both the community and the business has been a significant step forward in the way we as retailers can and should do business. We want to encourage our customers to do the same and take a look at how small changes in their own home can benefit their families as well as a global issue,” he said.

 

Echoing the average waste per Irish household, refrigerated goods (23.1%) and fresh fruit & vegetables (17%) top the list in terms of surplus food, delivering the highest levels of waste across Tesco stores last year. Through the use of the FoodCloud App, Tesco can now ensure that this food goes to the communities and people that need it most across the county.