Greggs provides the equivalent of over one million meals to UK-wide food network

We are happy to share that we have reached the significant milestone of providing the equivalent of over one million meals* – equal to 420 tonnes of surplus food – to charities and community groups across the UK, in partnership with FareShare.   

FareShare, the UK’s longest-running food redistribution charity, addresses the environmental issue of food waste by redistributing surplus food from businesses like Greggs to strengthen communities across the UK.  

Our collaboration with FareShare has grown from end-of-day charity collections at Greggs shops to a robust system of surplus food collected directly from our distribution and manufacturing sites. This expansion has significantly increased our contributions, with over thirty tonnes of food provided in the past year alone. In the last 12 months, our food has supported over 1,500 charities across the UK, including regions serviced by FareShare’s distribution centres in Glasgow, the North East, Yorkshire, Manchester, the Midlands, London, Wales, and Southampton.  

Reducing food waste is a key priority, as outlined in our sustainability plan – The Greggs Pledge. By 2025, we aim to reduce food surplus by 25% compared to 2018 levels. In addition to our longstanding partnership with FareShare, we also redistribute unsold food through end of day donations to around 1,000 UK charities, selling discounted surprise bags at over 1,000 shops throughToo Good To Go and via our network of Outlet shops, which sell day old food at reduced prices and then donate a share of profits to local community organisations dedicated to tackling food poverty and improving social mobility. In 2023 we donated almost £650,000 of Outlet shop profits to community grants.  

Roisin Currie, Chief Executive at Greggs commented: “Providing the equivalent of one million meals in collaboration with FareShare demonstrates our commitment to tackling food waste and supporting communities across the UK. This partnership is complementary to our other food waste initiatives, allowing us to make a significant positive impact as we continue to expand our sustainability efforts and provide food to those who need it the most.”