Tesco and its East Anglian onion supplier Stourgarden donated almost £25,000 to Cancer Research UK in 2016 thanks to strong sales of its 1kg bags of Rosanna Pink onions.
The pair donate 2p from each bag sold at the supermarket to the charity’s Race for Life campaign, which hosts over 300 women-only fundraising races from May to September each year.
In 2016 Tesco surpassed its annual fundraising target, recording total donations of £24,919.04 for the year.
Stourgarden’s commercial director George Rix said: “Each year we look forward to trying to support Race for Life and increasing our donation to Cancer Research UK.”
This year will be fifth year that Tesco and Stourgarden have worked together to raise funds for the charity, sending Cancer Research more than £50,000 since the initiative began. The pair hope to continue their support of the charity and further their donation amount each year.
Cancer Research UK’s head of events, Clive Saunders, said: “We are grateful for the continued support of Rosanna Pink onions. The incredible amount they have donated will help us continue our pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and we look forward to continuing our partnership in 2017”.
Rosanna Pink onions, which are marketed by Stourgarden and exclusively available at Tesco, were launched at the retailer in a three-in-line pack in October 2012. Since then Tesco has expanded to three different pack sizes in response to increasing demand.
The variety is grown by Stourgarden at its farms on the Essex-Suffolk border, with supply from September until June. Offering welcome innovation to the category, the onions have a blushing pink colour and a balanced flavour that is well-suited to salads as well as cooking.
“Rosanna offers consumers a versatile and quality onion, which is fast appealing to gourmets everywhere,” Stouragen wrote in a press release. The variety is priced at £1 for a 1kg pack.
