German discount supermarket giant Lidl has announced an anti-food poverty partnership with social enterprise FoodCloud that will see it donate one million meals to Irish charities by 2020.
The initiative is one of 24 targets set by Lidl in its Bord Bia-developed Origin Green strategy, and all 152 outlets and three warehouses will work with hundreds of local charities.
“The rollout of a national food redistribution programme supports our objective to reduce food waste and positively contribute to the communities in which we operate,” explained Lidl Ireland head of CSR Deirdre Ryan. “Working with FoodCloud enables Lidl to connect with hundreds of charities across Ireland and support them in a meaningful way. The feedback we have received to date has been fantastic and our store teams are extremely engaged with the project.”
A reported one in eight people in Ireland experience food poverty, and FoodCloud was founded in 2012 to connect charities with organisations that have surplus food.
“We’re very proud to be working with Lidl Ireland,” said FoodCloud CEO and co-founder Iseult Ward. “They have become a fundamental component in our capacity to help more than 300 charities across Ireland and in helping us ensure no good food in Ireland goes to waste. Each Lidl store is making a big difference to local charities and the food supplied is having a positive impact both on the people who receive the food and the charities who can spend funds on other important elements to help people.
“Each food donation represents a financial saving to the charity and a positive boost to our environment by reducing waste. Lidl Ireland will help us reach more communities and charities right across Ireland and we look forward to working with their local stores across Ireland.”
