PepsiCo is expanding a program in the United Kingdom to help fight food waste and bolster people's readiness to enter the job market.
According to New Food, the food and beverage giant is expanding its partnership with FareShare, the leading food redistribution charity in the U.K. Powered by a £210,000 grant from PepsiCo, the initiative will help to combat food waste by redirecting food from farms and provide 600 jobs for residents of Leicestershire, where PepsiCo's Walker's Crisps are manufactured.
PepsiCo is one of the top producers of branded plastic waste in the world, often appearing behind Coca-Cola on lists of the world's worst contributors to plastic pollution. There is much to do for these companies to change or at least make up for that pollution, and this initiative should not be seen as balancing the ledger. That said, it's still worthwhile for companies such as PepsiCo to undertake charitable efforts and other actions that reduce waste or foster sustainable practices.
The initiative will work in two parts. First, Surplus with Purpose, which helps farmers and producers send vegetables to a network of 8,000 charities around the U.K. This provides the equivalent of 550,000 meals around the community.
Second, there is the Leicestershire Employability Program, which offers tailored workshops, mentoring, and job application support. Its goal is to prepare more than 600 people around Leicester for work in the food and retail sectors.
Food waste is one of the biggest problems facing our planet right now. Food thrown out or not used by farms, homes, and businesses accounts for between eight and 10 percent of all global carbon emissions, according to the United Nations. On top of that environmental impact, food waste costs $1 trillion annually, making a massive dent in the global economy.
By working with organizations to ensure that as little food is wasted as possible, companies like PepsiCo are trying to reduce the carbon footprint of the food they produce, ensuring it's eaten and not put in landfills.
PepsiCo's efforts also support their initiatives to help increase sustainable farming in the U.K., working with 290 farmers in the area to promote regenerative practices.
"We're thrilled to deepen our partnership with PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation," Kirsty Ford, head of fundraising for FareShare, said, "Their support helps get more fresh, good-to-eat food to people instead of letting it go to waste."
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