Asda has said it will give at least £20m to food distribution charities FareShare and the Trussell Trust as part of a drive to help a million people out of food poverty.
The partnership will enable the two charities to boost their infrastructure and provide an additional 24 million meals every year, and give 500,000 more people access to fresh food in the UK.
Asda’s investment will also fund support services in food banks, such as debt counselling and job advice.
The retailer has also committed to making sure all its shops can donate surplus food to food banks by 2020.
Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of FareShare UK, said: “I believe that Asda’s investment in tackling hunger and food waste in support of front line charities has the potential to create such a multiplier effect that it could well be the largest single act of support since the creation of the National Lottery or the introduction of Gift Aid.”
Sam Stapley, head of operations for the Trussell Trust England, said: “The scale and nature of this funding is unprecedented. Asda’s investment means they can expand their reach and develop new projects bringing very real, tangible benefits to local communities and to anyone struggling with food insecurity in a way that simply has not been possible before.”
Andy Murray, Asda’s chief customer officer, said: “We simply cannot – and will not – accept food being wasted whilst people in our communities go hungry. We’ve listened to our customers and want to take on their challenge to fight hunger and create change.”
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