M&S hits 70m meal redistribution milestone with Neighbourly

M&S has passed the milestone of 70 million meals donated to local charities via its food redistribution partner Neighbourly.

Since the launch of the partnership in 2015, M&S has been working with Neighbourly to redistribute surplus food from store, which is too good to waste, to more than 3,000 local charities and community organisations.

To date, the retailer said the partnership has supported over 4.5m individuals, with meal donations supporting families in need, young people and those with disabilities.

Designed to tackle food waste in stores, the partnership with Neighbourly has prevented over 30,000 tonnes of good quality food from going to waste, it added.

It also contributes to M&S’ target of 100 per cent of edible surplus food to be redistributed by 2025, as part of its ‘Plan A’ roadmap to net zero.

This year, as the cost-of-living crisis has been at its peak, the partnership has seen over 13m meals donated – the highest in the partnership to date.

M&S further expects to exceed the number of meals donated in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Over 400,000 meals were donated in the first week of December– an increase of 100,000 from last year.

Alex Freudmann, managing director of M&S Food, said: “Doing the right thing for the people and communities we serve has always been important to M&S, and that’s one of the reasons we launched our partnership with Neighbourly back in 2015.

”I’m delighted that we have surpassed the milestone of 70m meals donated, because its enabled us not only to tackle food waste in our stores but also ensure our delicious food, which is too good to waste, can support those in need when they need it most. I want to thank our incredible store colleagues for their ongoing efforts to make this partnership such a success.”

Last month, M&S also announced a new partnership with Fareshare, to redistribute surplus food from within its supply chain. Working with supplier 2 Sisters Food Group, M&S is donating one million freshly prepared, nutritious ready meals in the eight weeks leading up to Christmas.