Aldi has committed to donating more meals than ever to good causes over the festive period.
The German-discount retailer is calling for local charities, community groups and food banks to register now to receive surplus food donations this Christmas.
The move comes as part of Aldi’s pledge to donate 10 million meals this year to families across the UK facing hunger.
Christmas provides an opportunity for even more organisations to benefit from Aldi’s partnership with Neighbourly.
The community engagement platform links businesses to food banks and charities, enabling all of Aldi’s 930 UK stores to donate surplus food seven days a week, all year round.
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With all Aldi stores set to close on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, the retailer wants to ensure that any products approaching the end of their shelf life reach families who might otherwise miss out this Christmas.
Aldi revealed existing charity partnerships will be prioritised for these festive collections, but where there’s availability, additional organisations are being invited to apply to be paired with a local Aldi store to collect fresh and chilled food products, including fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, fish and bread, ahead of stores closing on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
“Our food donations scheme operates year-round, but we know that Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for the families and communities we support,” Aldi UK managing director of corporate responsibility Mary Dunn said.
“That’s why we are so committed to increasing the number of meals we donate over the festive season, and we look forward to working with local charities this Christmas to help us meet our 10 million meals target for the year.”
Neighbourly chief executive officer Steve Butterworth added: “With the impact of the pandemic still being felt by communities up and down the country, charities and local causes are expecting record demand for their services this Christmas.
“We’re sure there are lots more groups out there that could put this food to good use, so we’d encourage them to get in touch.”
However, Aldi revealed organisations do not need to be registered charity to apply but must have a level two hygiene certificate gained in the last two years and be able to transport and store chilled food products after collecting them on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve at 5pm.
Aldi has been working with Neighbourly since early 2019.
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