Marks & Spencer’s Newtownbreda branch, located in the Forestside Shopping Centre, has reached a brand-new milestone having partnered with local charity LifeHub NI to supply more than 400,000 edible surplus meals to families in need.
Speaking about the partnership with M&S, LifeHubNI founder Edmund Aruofor commented: “I cannot overstate the importance of the food which M&S Newtownbreda has provided to our organisation since our partnership began. Back in 2017 whenLifeHub NI started collaborating with the M&S Newtownbreda team we agreed to work together to pack up, transport and distribute surplus food seven days a week – and we haven’t missed a day yet.”
LifeHub NI supplies meals to more than 350 families a week placing a focus on fresh produce and meals rather than ambient products. Edmund continued: “The stark reality is that we have more than 400 names on our waiting list. In a time of such great need, when families are struggling with the cost of living, M&S has continuously offered up quality food for those who need it most, and the impact on the lives of these local people is enormous.
“We look forward to continuing our work with M&S Newtownbreda and would call for other retailers to follow suit and think about how their edible surplus goods can have a positive impact on their local community.”
M&S Newtownbreda has continued to build on its success from last year when more than 72,000 meals were given out to local charities and community groups. Gwyneth Davidson, Store Manager at M&S Newtownbreda commented: “We are delighted that these meals are getting to those who need it most in our local area. Our team places a real focus on making sure none of our surplus food goes to waste and we offer our thanks and praise to Edmund and our other partner organisations who have worked so tirelessly alongside us to see these meals are collected, transported and distributed swiftly and safely.”
In 2015, M&S teamed up with food redistribution partner Neighbourly to develop a new app which allows store colleagues to revolutionise how they donate edible surplus food.
The app automatically notifies charity partners of anything unsold at the end of the day that can be collected from their local store the next morning. The technology is used by all 585 M&S stores across the UK which has enabled many of them to more than double their food redistribution rates.
As result, M&S stores across Northern Ireland have worked with community groups and charities to donate more than 3.2 million surplus meals to good causes since the partnership launch.
With 9.5 million tonnes of food being wasted every year in homes and businesses across the UK, the programme is a key part of M&S’s Plan A initiative and aims to help reduce the environmental impact of food waste. M&S launched its Plan A initiative in 2007, becoming the first major retailer to reach carbon neutral status in 2012
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