When earlier this year COVID 19 turned people’s lives upside down, BerryWorld UK saw an opportunity to support vulnerable families in the UK so we did the natural thing and approached FareShare. Since then, BerryWorld UK and some of its British growers have diverted over 110 tonnes of under spec, but delicious fruit, with support from the Surplus with Purpose Fund - which makes it cost neutral for food businesses to divert their surplus food to people in need via FareShare’s nationwide network of 11,000 frontline charities. This fruit has so far contributed towards the equivalent of around 261,100 healthy meals provided to those supported by FareShare in the UK.

“Partnering with FareShare has provided an outlet for fruit that may have otherwise been wasted, usually fruit which is either too small or misshapen. It’s great to know that our surplus fruit has been effectively utilised to produce healthy meals for vulnerable families and individuals” explains Emma Henry, Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager at BerryWorld UK.

Jo Dyson, Head of Food at FareShare, said: “Working with BerryWorld, we’ve been able to help thousands of people to access quality, nutritious fresh fruit, which is always welcomed, enjoyed and important in helping to achieve a healthy diet. The support we have received from BerryWorld and their growers is important to our operation and our charity partners and we look forward to continuing to work with BerryWorld in the future.”

This Christmas, BerryWorld are sharing even more goodness by making an additional financial contribution to charity; meaning the equivalent of 20,000 meals can be distributed to vulnerable people via FareShare.  

Our goal is to provide fruit and donations equivalent to 300k meals in 2020. 

“The campaign will be launched early December on a selection of BerryWorld’s branded packs. We will be using flashes and QR technology on pack to raise awareness of FareShare’s great work in the UK and to promote the season of goodwill, we are bringing our limited edition Santa packs back into circulation for the month of December, available through Ocado” explains Hannah Lumb, Senior Category Manager at BerryWorld UK. 

To amplify the impact of the campaign and encourage others to share the goodness, BerryWorld has also set-up a JustGiving page to inspire further donations towards FareShare projects in the UK.

“It has been a tough year for many families across the UK and because it is the season of goodwill, we hope this campaign will also encourage others to support FareShare’s work with vulnerable people. More details on how to support this campaign can be found on our website, with a link to our JustGiving page,” explains Charlotte Knowles, Head of Marketing, BerryWorld Group. 

FareShare is the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, with more than 30 warehouses across the UK. It takes food from the food industry that can’t be sold in shops, either because of packaging errors, a short shelf life or overproduction. That food, which is the same as the food you’d eat at home, is then redistributed through a network of 11,000 frontline organisations, across the UK such as homeless hostels, school breakfast clubs, domestic violence refuges, older people’s lunch clubs, food banks and hospices. Since the pandemic, FareShare has more than doubled its work, providing the equivalent of more than 2 million meals a week to people who might not otherwise eat.