Bakkavor, the UK's leading provider of fresh prepared food, is proud to announce it has fulfilled its commitment to donate 500,000 meals through the Coronation Food Project - an initiative inspired by His Majesty King Charles III. Through partnering with Tesco and FareShare, these vital meal donations have supported thousands of people facing food insecurity, from youth projects to older people's lunch clubs.
Since pledging in November 2023, Bakkavor has delivered weekly donations of Hearty Food Company Chicken Tikka, Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce, and dried pasta to FareShare's extensive network of over 8,000 charities and community groups. This milestone was reached in July 2025.
Building on this success, Bakkavor is now pioneering an innovative way to tackle food waste by donating garlic baguette ends - leftover crusts from the production of garlic bread slices, that would otherwise go to waste. This example of genuine cross-industry collaboration - part of the Alliance Food Sourcing initiative led by FareShare, The Felix Project, and IGD - would transform genuine surplus into nutritious food. The garlic baguette ends are intended to be served alongside soups, stews, and other hot meals.
If scaled, this initiative has the potential to create over 500,000 additional meals annually, demonstrating Bakkavor's ongoing commitment to sustainability and social responsibility through practical, creative solutions.
"Bakkavor is proud to stand alongside FareShare in their vital mission to redistribute surplus food and support those in need," said Tony Swindell, Head of Operational Sustainability at Bakkavor. "Together with Tesco, we've achieved a significant milestone by fulfilling our pledge of 500,000 meals as part of the Coronation Food Project - delivering real, meaningful impact to communities across the UK. This is just the beginning. We're passionate about driving even greater change through innovative surplus food initiatives, and we're excited about the possibilities ahead to help fight food insecurity and reduce waste."
Bakkavor's Impact at a glance (Jan-July 2025)
- 60 tonnes of surplus food redistributed
- 142,000 meal equivalents provided
- 354 tonnes of CO₂e and 210 million litres of water saved from waste
- 1,177 charities and community groups supported
Jeannie Willamson, Commercial Manager at FareShare [1] commented: "We are enormously grateful to everyone at Bakkavor for their continued support for FareShare. As part of the Coronation Food Project, Bakkavor is finding innovative ways to use surplus, making a huge difference to ensuring that good food goes to people in need, not waste. Bakkavor's support helps power the redistribution of surplus food, reducing food waste and enabling community groups to support those most in need. Thank you."