Food service distributor Brakes has won a second award for its partnership with UK food charity FareShare, which donates surplus food from the food industry to 700 local charities supporting homeless and vulnerable people.
Brakes was the Gold winner of the food and drink category in the Green Organisation's Green Apple Awards for Environmental Best Practice, which was celebrated at the House of Commons last week.
The month before, its work with FareShare won the group the Unilever Community Award in the IGD Food Industry Awards 2011.
Brakes donates the equivalent of 80,000 meals a month to FareShare, saving 324 tonnes of food waste from landfill.
“By taking surplus food from Brakes and delivering it out to a network of local charities, we provide a vital lifeline for those who are otherwise unable to access healthy food,” said Jim Trower, director of operations at FareShare, which provides 8.6 million meals a year to needy people.
“Our corporate sustainability and environmental objectives are a core element of our business focus. Winning this award highlights the improvements we are making year-on-year which are benefiting our customers and our communities,” commented Brakes marketing director James Armitage.
“Brakes leads the sector when it comes to minimising food waste – with just 0.2% of fresh produce going to landfill per annum – but we were determined to do more, and hope our partnership with FareShare will continue to be as successful as it has been.”