SPAR commits to one million meals for FareShare with £250K donation as revealed 1 in 10 struggling to eat

SPAR has partnered with FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and tackling food waste, to provide the equivalent of one million meals through local charities in cities, towns and villages across the UK as part of the One Million Meals project.

The campaign has now launched in over 300 SPAR stores in Northern Ireland, and will run until November 1, 2023.

FareShare is the UK’s longest running food redistribution charity that believes no good food should go to waste, especially when people are going hungry.

According to FareShare, seven million people in the UK are struggling to afford to eat, representing 1 in 10 of the UK population.

In Northern Ireland, FareShare partners with 160 foodbanks and community charities, and SPAR’s project complements the donations that are continuing from 181 SPAR and EUROSPAR stores.

Since the beginning of the year, tens of thousands of products have been donated from stores by staff and shoppers to community foodbanks here in Northern Ireland.

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group which owns SPAR in Northern Ireland said: “SPAR’s partnership with FareShare will see £250,000 donated to the organisation, which means that for every £1 given FareShare can redistribute enough food for the equivalent of four meals to people in need across the UK.”

A study of over 2,000 people commissioned by SPAR to launch the campaign has revealed that 72 per cent of consumers in Northern Ireland hate to see food wasted, with 78 per cent likely to save cooked food to use as leftovers.

When it comes to helping others, Northern Ireland is one of the top regions in the UK, with research also revealing that over half (55 per cent) have donated to foodbanks and charities, with 22 per cent donating more to foodbanks in recent years to help with the cost of living crisis.