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Irish Times

AIB-FoodCloud partnership has prevented 15,000 tonnes of food from going to waste

A partnership between AIB and the FoodCloud charity has helped to redistribute 15,000 tonnes of food, preventing it from becoming waste. FoodCloud, which tackles food waste and food insecurity by giving surplus food to charities and community groups, joined with AIB for a new community meals programme last year. In its first 12 months, the programme has served more than 5,000 ready-to-eat meals to people in need. Aoibheann O'Brien, FoodCloud co-founder and director of development, described the initiative as 'a powerful evolution of our mission to ensure no good food goes to waste'. READ MORE 'With AIB's support, we're reaching more charities and community groups across Ireland at a time when food insecurity is growing as the cost of living continues to rise,' she said. The non-profit said that adding prepared meals to its redistribution network had increased the impact of the programme by enabling charities with limited cooking capacity to benefit from the scheme. FoodCloud worked with suppliers such as Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Musgrave Group and BWG Foods to prevent 2,558 tonnes of food going to waste last year. A total of 2,147 tonnes of food was redistributed the year prior. Cumulatively the scheme has prevented more than 15,000 tonnes of food from going to waste. A survey of its 209 charity partners showed that 94 per cent found that the surplus food allowed them to support more people. And 74 per cent said it allowed them to offer more services, a 5 per cent increase on the year before. As many as 70 per cent of FoodCloud's partnered charities said they used all the surplus food. FoodCloud said the partnership between itself and AIB has overall helped redistribute 15,162 tonnes of food. The figure is the equivalent of feeding the population of Ireland nearly seven times, preventing about 50,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. AIB corporate affairs director Barry Field said the company was proud to support the AIB FoodCloud Community Meals Programme, which he said aligned with the company's 'commitment to fostering sustainable communities and reducing food waste'. He said: 'By collaborating with FoodCloud, we are helping to ensure that surplus food reaches those who need it most.' Mr Field also commended volunteers who contributed to the programme.