Industry unites to bolster surplus food redistribution

In a new industry partnership, Oscar Mayer, a manufacturer of chilled food, and Company Shop Group, a UK redistributor of surplus food, have joined forces to combat food waste through redistribution.

With the aim of “pushing [redistribution] back up the food waste hierarchy and supporting even more people and communities”, the companies have announced that all of Oscar Mayer’s surplus stock will be redistributed with the help of Company Shop Group.

The partnership is part of Oscar Mayer’s next steps in its commitment to its ESG strategy, in which a fundamental element is reducing the amount of unnecessary waste that occurs within their manufacturing processes.

Redistribution efforts will include private label products, work in progress, finished goods and raw materials.

“We have been committed to redistributing our surplus stock for many years and having the best solutions in place to help us continue reducing our waste. This partnership allows us to take that commitment one step further, as Company Shop Group’s innovative and expert solutions provide a trusted route to redistribute our surplus products; this will lessen our impact on the environment whilst also positively impacting communities and our colleagues,” said Sarah Hill, Chief People and Development Officer at Oscar Mayer.

Company Shop Group will aid Oscar Mayer in providing a single redistribution route for its three UK sites. What’s more, it will provide technical support to ensure product traceability and brand protection throughout the process.

Waste not, want not: Rethinking food waste

In addition there will also be a focus on reducing waste through identifying and capturing surplus higher up the production process, namely during the manufacturing process through its ‘Surplus Unlocked’ initiative.

The surplus stock itself is set to be redistributed through Company Shop stores, as well as via its social enterprise Community Shop, which currently supports Brits experiencing food insecurity in some of the UK’s most deprived communities.

 “We are delighted to be partnering with Oscar Mayer and are committed to helping them unlock the value from their surplus. We have demonstrated our ability to redistribute a wide range of products, and through our industry-leading interventions we can ensure more products end up where they were intended, on people’s plate, and we look forward to working together to capture even more surplus,” said Owen McLellan, Managing Director for Company Shop Group.