Tesco is selling small pre-filled donation bags with items needed most by food banks in 300 stores this summer, to help charities meet increased demand.
The donation bags, which will be available in stores until 3 September, contain items such as pasta, pulses and pasta sauce, which typically cost around £3.50.
Customers can pick up a bag when entering a store, scan the products inside at the till, repackage, and drop it off at a donation point.
Over the summer, shoppers can also round up their bill to the nearest pound at the checkout.
Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning
This follows on from the leading retailers previous food drives for the Trussell Trust and FareShare, with the equivalent of 12.5m meals donated last year.
Tesco head of community, Claire de Silva, said: “We’re really proud of our partnerships with FareShare and the Trussell Trust and we want to continue to find ways to help them.
“With more people using food banks we wanted make donating as easy as possible for customers that want to support their local community. The donation bags will be available throughout the summer holidays so it allows a real focus on families and children who need support.”
Trussell Trust CEO, Emma Revie, added: “Over the last year, food banks have faced record levels of need and, while donations have increased by 18%, our network distributed 37% more emergency food parcels than in 2021/2022.
“The generosity of Tesco and its customers plays a vital role in ensuring that food banks can continue to support people who cannot afford the essentials, as we continue working towards our vision of ending the need for food banks.”
