Avara becomes first meat processor to donate 1 million meals to food charity FareShare

Through our regular weekly supply, and provision of surplus product, we have become the first meat processor to donate the equivalent of 1 million meals to FareShare.

FareShare, the country’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste, typically takes delivery of good-to-eat and surplus food which is unsold or unwanted by the food industry, and through its regional warehouses, redistributes it among its network of 10,500 charities and community groups. This food is turned into nutritious meals for vulnerable people, many of whom are struggling with unemployment, low income, debt, homelessness and other issues.

Avara has been a long-term supporter of FareShare, with both our predecessors; Faccenda Foods and Cargill UK’s fresh poultry business, supplying the charity before Avara formed in a joint venture in 2018. Since Avara’s inception, we have boosted the quantities we supply and in under four years have reached the 1 million meals milestone.

FareShare play a critical role in helping vulnerable people access vital sources of food. Since the Covid pandemic began, they’ve seen a huge upsurge in the number of people accessing their services, providing over 55,000 tonnes of food to charities that serve people at risk in 2020-2021. Acknowledging the immediate and far-reaching impacts of the pandemic, and the heightened need in the community for accessible food, we increased our donations to FareShare from the outset, and in the last 12 months alone, have provided enough food for 313,000 meals.

Our partnership with FareShare is unusual, in that the majority of donations are not unsold or unwanted, but a regular, planned supply of fresh Grade A product. It’s a dependable commitment provided on a weekly basis, which means the recipient charities can plan ahead, make the most of the food available and make sure that they are providing nutritious meals. We were the first major poultry processor to adopt this approach. This regular supply is supplemented by important additional provisions of surplus product.

Our commitment to helping combat food poverty is part of a broader responsible business agenda, For Good. Alongside FareShare commitments, our major operational sites also donate to local food banks in their communities. You can read more about For Good and other ways in which we’re helping to support our communities in our new 2021 responsible business report.

People and Communications Director, Andrew Brodie, commented, “Our goal is to produce healthy, high quality food, that is available to all parts of our community. FareShare provides an indispensable service to communities up and down the country, so working with them to provide wholesome nutritious food is a great way to support their mission, our purpose and help thousands of people in need.?Reaching one million meals is a milestone that we’re all exceptionally proud of”.

FareShare CEO, Lindsay Boswell, commented “Thank you Avara, for donating much needed food, equivalent to 1 million meals. Avara have been a longstanding partner of FareShare, supplying consistent deliveries of meat each month. Avara is the first meat processor reach the 1 million meals milestone and that is testament to their ongoing commitment and support of our mission to tackle hunger and food waste. This commitment was further demonstrated as Avara continued to transport their products to FareShare at their own cost, throughout the recent haulier crisis. We look forward to continuing our work with Avara into 2022.”