IGD secures over 22,000 pallets of donations to food banks in pandemic response

Reviewing its work over the year, IGD said it has secured more than 22,000 pallets delivered to charities and food banks.

This included donations made via IGD to its food redistribution partners and via Defra’s follow-up fund.

IGD also helped Defra establish its Food Resilience Industry Forum to share intelligence and address issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The forum continues its work as industry plans for the end of the transition period with the EU.

“In a year of unprecedented disruption, the food and consumer goods industry has done a fantastic job to keep food on the shelves and protect the most vulnerable in our society; we owe a debt of gratitude to all the food heroes working across our industry,” Susan Barratt, IGD chief executive, said.

“Our social impact initiatives have adapted at pace to the changing world and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved in 2020.”

IGD has also made significant progress in the sustainability front, particularly in addressing the issue of food waste as there has been a 17 per cent reduction in food waste for businesses publicly reporting data through the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap.

The organisation has launched this year the Work Experience Programme which brings some of the industry’s biggest retailers and brands together to deliver interactive learning and skills development. This programme, along with this year’s school workshops, saw 6,000 young people trained in valuable employability and life skills.

Another highlight of the year is the new research project called Appetite for Change which was launched in March, outlining the key opportunities to shift consumers’ behaviour towards healthier and sustainable diets. This work now focuses on leading a coalition of businesses to test behaviour change interventions in real-life settings.

“We have an ambitious plan for 2021, including expanding the scale of our Work Experience programme, refocusing our efforts on inclusion and diversity and bringing industry together to drive collaborative action on food redistribution,” Barratt added.