The Co-operative Group has signed up to support national charity FareShare and back its campaign to help communities relieve food poverty and reduce food waste across the UK.

It has pledged to help the charity after completing a successful pilot with FareShare North East from its distribution centre in Birtley, County Durham, which sent surplus food to be enjoyed by some of the most disadvantaged people in the community.

The Co-operative has now introduced the initiative at its distribution centre in Thurrock in Essex. The community-based retailer is also putting systems in place to launch the scheme at other sites across the country, including its depots in Newhouse, near Glasgow, and Lea Green on Merseyside, later this year.

The move coincides with calls from the charity for more companies to supply them with unwanted food, rather than throw it away.

Tim Hurrell, Chief Executive, The Co-operative Food, said: “FareShare is a fantastic charity whose simple concept of tackling food poverty and food waste is one we are delighted to support.

“Following the successful trial at our new Regional Distribution Centre in Birtley, County Durham, where FareShare North East were delighted with the quality and range of products we supplied them, we have launched the scheme at our depot in Thurrock. We are now also looking to introduce this initiative at our other depots across the country.”

During the trial, The Co-operative provided products to FareShare North East from its Birtley depot in Chester-le-Street, which included oversupplies, quality control rejections, damaged packaging and food nearing the end of its shelf life.

The Co-operative supplied 3.6 tonnes of surplus food from the Birtley depot during the pilot which went to help some of the North East’s most disadvantaged.