129: How FareShare help brands like Tesco redistribute surplus food to those in need

FareShare is the UK’s largest food redistribution charity, with more than 30 Regional Centres across the country. It takes food from the food industry that can’t be sold in shops, either because of packaging errors or a short shelf life. FareShare has worked with Tesco since 2012 to help alleviate poverty in the UK by ensuring surplus food within its supply chain is used to feed people and doesn’t end up as waste. Joining host Stefan Gates for a fascinating look into how charities, brands and retailers are working together to alleviate food waste by distributing surplus food to those who need it are Helen Davies, Retail Partners Senior Manager, FareShare, Claire de Silva, Head of Community and Local Media, Tesco, Nicola Mackay, Community Food Programme Manager, Tesco and Dr Mansukh Morjoria, Trustee, Shree Jalaram Mandi. About our panel   Helen Davies, Retail Partners Senior Manager, FareShare Helen Davies is a Senior Commercial Manager at FareShare. She manages relationships with some our key retail partners, particularly Tesco, and is also responsible for business development and management of new partners joining the FareShare Go programme. Helen moved into the charity sector five years ago after a long career in mobile communications where she has run CSR for EE and Orange, communications and engagement for UK R&D and far too many projects in retail to mention! Claire de Silva, Head of Community and Local Media, Tesco Claire de Silva is Head of Community and Local Media at Tesco where she leads a team delivering multi-million-pound programmes that support thousands of local communities across the UK and a number of core proactive media campaigns. She began her career as a journalist working for a number of weekly, daily and evening newspapers before moving into public and media relations leading communications at John Lewis, Merlin, Whitbread, Travis Perkins and Centrica and the Hospice of St Francis. Nicola Mackay, Community Food Programme Manager, Tesco Nicola (Nicki) Mackay is Community Food Programme Manager at Tesco where she plans and deliver Tesco's operational strategy on food redistribution and food poverty via the delivery of two key community programmes; Tesco Food Collection, the annual food collection in stores in support of the FareShare and The Trussell Trust, and Community Food Connection in partnership with FareShare and FoodCloud, which offers daily edible food surplus to charities to collect for free. Dr Mansukh Morjoria, Trustee, Shree Jalaram Mandi Mansukh Morjaria is a Trustee at Shree Jalaram Mandir, a temple situated in Greenford, London, supporting people with food in the local community. As a not for profit organisation, they collect food through Tesco via FareShare Go – the back of store programme where charities and community organisations can collect end of day surplus food. Shree Jalaram Mandir is linked with lots of Tesco stores in London and has been collecting food through the programme since 2017. Throughout the pandemic, they have been supporting a wide range of people in the area, as well as homeless people, through fresh cooked meals and food parcels.