Waitrose has diverted the equivalent of 20m meals worth of surplus food to charities and community groups across the UK through its partnership with food waste charity FareShare.

The upmarket retailer donated 168 tonnes of food between July and December 2023, which prevented over 269 tonnes of CO2 emissions and more than 252m litres of water from going to waste.

This food was received by 2,681 charities and community groups, including 182 that are working with people experiencing homelessness, 50 supporting asylum seekers and refugees, 622 working with children and young people, and 120 older people’s community groups.

Waitrose distributes food daily from more than 300 stores via FareShare Go, which links local charities and community groups with their nearest store.

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The food, which typically consists of items such as bread, fruit and vegetables, is then collected by charities in-store and turned into food parcels or meals for people in the community.

Waitrose distribution centres in Enfield and Greenford also deliver high quality food including meat, fish, dairy, fruit, and vegetables to six of FareShare’s nearby warehouses, which is also distributed to local charities and community projects.

John Lewis Partnership social impact and health lead Lindsey Crompton said: “With the cost of living continuing to rise, we know that it continues to be a really difficult time for many, and we want to do everything we can to support our communities.

“We’re proud of our ongoing partnership with FareShare, which has made reaching this milestone possible, and takes us even closer to hitting our ambitious goal of halving food waste by 2030.”