One Million Tins Of Baked Beans Delivered To Felix To Help Tackle UK Hunger

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One million tins of baked beans will be produced for people facing food insecurity this summer through an innovative partnership between Princes, Waitrose, Alliance Food Sourcing (AFS), and Felix (formerly The Felix Project and FareShare).

The collaboration will see cans of Branston Baked Beans distributed through Felix's network of over 8,000 community organisations, schools, food banks and community kitchens, providing thousands of meals for people who need them most.

Inspired by the legacy of The King’s Coronation Food Project, the project forms part of the wider work of Alliance Food Sourcing (AFS), a coalition that brings together leading UK food businesses to unlock surplus food and factory capabilities and turn it into meals for charities.

Unlike traditional food redistribution programmes that rely solely on surplus items, the donation of baked beans has brought together manufacturing, retail and charity partners to start donating the British store cupboard staple over the coming months.

By unlocking surplus factory capacity and supply-chain resources, the partnership has created a new way of getting more nutritious food to communities facing hunger. Princes is optimising its state-of-the-art facilities to produce additional volumes of beans during quieter periods throughout the year.

The move represents a shift in how the food industry addresses food insecurity. With standard retail surplus donations being inconsistent, the project gives a vital boost to the food supplies distributed by charities.

Waitrose is also currently trialling similar initiatives with its pasta supplier, Daybreak, and its fresh fruit supplier, Primafruit. Combined, the three initiatives are on track to divert the equivalent of over 1.9 million meals to Felix, the UK’s largest food rescue charity, by the end of the year.

David McDiarmid, Corporate Relations Director at Princes Group, said:

"Baked beans have been a cornerstone of the British kitchen for decades thanks to their versatility and long shelf life. We are delighted that our first successful venture with Alliance Food Sourcing is on Branston Baked Beans, as they provide an accessible and nutritious meal option, with one can containing over 24 grams of fibre."

"We have partnered with FareShare for over a decade and donations of stock is a matter of routine and something all our colleagues are passionate about, so we are proud to go ’beyond surplus’ food and instead use our manufacturing capability to actively produce food for people who need it."

Marija Rompani, Director of Ethics and Sustainability at Waitrose said:

"This isn't just about donating surplus food; it's about exploring how we can work closely with our suppliers to rewrite the rules in our supply chain and unlock surplus that can make a real difference to our communities."

Nicky Robinson, Director of Alliance Food Sourcing, said:

"We're delighted to see Waitrose, Princes, Daybreak and Primafruit showing what can be achieved by working together. By adapting their supply chains, food businesses can redirect factory capacity or rescue edible food to help tackle UK hunger. Innovations like these mean millions more meals are already reaching people who need them - often through relatively simple changes."

Charlotte Hill OBE, CEO of Felix said:

"Unfortunately the demand for food amongst the charities and organisations Felix supplies keeps rising. That is why projects like this are vital, it not only shows what partnerships and innovative thinking can achieve, it ensures Felix, which is the new name for merged charities FareShare and The Felix Project, receives a steady supply of a much sought after family favourite."

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Nov 13, 2023
2 min read

Come ice, snow or frost, Leicestershire County Council is prepared for winter, with 18,500 tonnes of salt stored in grit barns across the county ready for when temperatures start to fall. Nearly half of the county’s network is gritted in response to harsh weather conditions - that’s around 1,300 miles of highway. The team made the first of their rounds this weekend.

The grit is stored at barns in Melton, Misterton, Mountsorrel, Market Harborough and Nailstone, where 23 gritters are ready to roll out when needed to keep the county’s roads moving. During the last winter season from 2022 to 2023, the county council’s gritting team carried out 62 runs of its 17 routes, using a whopping 7,779 tonnes of salt to keep the roads safe.

In snowy conditions, there are also a number of snow wardens based in communities across the county who help grit paths. Farmers also get involved and, during deep snowfall, fit ploughs to their tractors and assist the council in clearing roads.

Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, cabinet member for highways and transport, said:

“Our team are busy monitoring the roads round-the-clock every winter. If freezing temperatures are forecast, our fleet of gritters are ready to treat major roads and key routes."

“With our officers, local farmers and snow wardens working together, we’ll make sure that Leicestershire stays moving.”

Keep up to date with the latest information on gritting and travel, including our interactive gritting map on the county’s website. Here, residents can also see advice on how to stay well this winter, and how they can get support on food and fuel costs.

The county council is also encouraging residents and businesses to be ‘flood aware’ following the heavy rainfall that caught the county recently.

“Our advice is to stay safe and don’t take unnecessary risks and never drive or walk through flood water,“ said Mr O’Shea.

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One Million Tins Of Baked Beans Delivered To Felix To Help Tackle UK Hunger

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