Spalding meal kit company combating food waste while helping the needy

In a first for the meal kit category, recipe box company Gousto has launched a pioneering scheme with courier partner DPD, to combat food waste within the supply chain.

The scheme sees DPD drivers take failed box deliveries to the surplus food redistribution charity, FareShare. The food is then donated to charities and community groups who provide meals and support to vulnerable people.

Launching initially as a trial at DPD sites, the scheme will support Spalding company Gousto’s commitment that no usable waste ends up in landfill or incineration.

This comes as Gousto expands its fulfilment network, opening two new fulfilment centres by the end of next year to help deliver more boxes to homes across the UK, as demand for its meals continues to increase.

Sally Matthews, chief product officer at Gousto, said: “Food waste is a huge issue within the traditional grocery supply chain. We’re proud to operate with less than 1% surplus food but there’s always more to be done. By partnering with suppliers like DPD who share our ambitions to create a more sustainable supply chain, and with the help of amazing charities like FareShare, we can make a real difference.

“There are no excuses for inaction and we hope others in the industry will set up similar operations.”

Gousto and FareShare first began working together in December to redistribute usable surplus food from Gousto’s fulfilment centres to people in need.

Since then, the recipe box company has donated 78.7 tonnes of surplus food, which FareShare have successfully redistributed to 1,629 charities across the UK. That’s equivalent to 187,402 meals for people in need.

Food waste is already kept to less than 1% surplus in the Gousto fulfillment centres, thanks to AI technology predicting weekly order volumes to prevent over-ordering from suppliers.

Last month, findings by environmental services company Foodsteps revealed that due to a shorter supply chain and reduced food waste, dinners from Gousto produce 23% less carbon emissions than equivalent meals from supermarkets. Rather than use its own delivery fleet, Gousto works with existing couriers to further save on CO2 emissions.

At least 270,000 tonnes of good food is wasted by the UK food industry every year, equivalent to 650 million meals. In the last year, FareShare redistributed 55,000 tonnes of food to charities and groups, providing the equivalent of nearly 132 million meals.