Sainsbury's is very Neighbourly as it donates 10 million meals

Sainsbury’s has reached a significant meal donation milestone with food re-distribution partner Neighbourly, saving 4,500 tonnes of food going to waste.

The move brings Sainsbury’s a step nearer in its pledge to reduce food waste across its value chain by 50% by 2030.

The partnership is just one way in which Sainsbury’s supports communities with access to food, with its newly launched Nourish the Nation programme recently donating £3 million to help fight food poverty

Sainsbury’s has announced it's reached a significant milestone with Neighbourly, having donated its 10 millionth meal to those facing food insecurity in 18 months.

Sainsbury's has worked with Neighbourly since 2021 to connect all its stores with local charity partners, helping to manage surplus food donations. Via this partnership, both ambient and fresh groceries can be donated to a store’s connected charity, helping Sainsbury’s to redistribute food to those facing food poverty in local communities.

The partnership with Neighbourly has prevented 4,500 tonnes of food from going to waste, a move which has reduced carbon emissions by over 16,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, through using the Neighbourly platform, Sainsbury’s has donated food to over 2,500 good causes across the UK, that help four million people every week.

In just the week leading up to Christmas over 335,000 meals were provided to local charities which support over 1,227,000 people weekly all over the UK, helping to support communities over the festive period.

Ruth Cranston, who is Sainsbury’s Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, said: “We have donated food to charities and community groups since 1998, but our partnership with Neighbourly has really helped us accelerate how many people we can help.

"We know our partnership is more important than ever before with food banks facing more demand than before. Supporting the communities we serve with the rising cost of living is important to us, it’s why we are pleased to hit such a huge milestone of donating 10 million meals. 

"We’re incredibly proud of this partnership and have worked hard in engaging our stores and they have done a great job in driving this forward. We look forward to continuing our work with Neighbourly.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, said: "Sainsbury’s is genuinely committed to local action and we’re pleased to be accelerating the scheme to help forge strong community collaboration between their stores and charity partners whilst combatting the environmental impact of wasted food.

"The current cost-of-living crisis means more families than ever before are relying on their local community charities for food and other services, and this scheme is making a huge difference to thousands of local groups and the people they support."

Working with Neighbourly to donate surplus food is just one of the ways Sainsbury’s is able to supports those who are facing food insecurity. In November 2022, it launched Nourish the Nation - a long-term programme designed specifically to tackle food poverty with Comic Relief.

The programme funds initiatives that help communities access balanced, nutritional and sustainable food now, as well as supporting projects that help prevent people and communities falling further into food poverty in the future. Sainsbury's kicked off Nourish the Nation with a £3 million donation, and it follows 24 years of work with Comic Relief, in which time over £153 million has been raised.