In a groundbreaking industry partnership, Oscar Mayer, a prominent chilled food manufacturer, and Company Shop Group, a leading UK redistributor of surplus food, have united to enhance efforts in food waste redistribution.
Aiming to “pushing [redistribution] back up the food waste hierarchy and supporting even more people and communities”, the collaboration will see all of Oscar Mayer’s surplus stock redistributed with assistance from Company Shop Group.
This initiative marks a significant advancement in Oscar Mayer’s commitment to its ESG strategy, centred on minimising waste in their manufacturing processes.
The redistribution initiative will cover a range of products including private label items, 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,” explained Sarah Hill, Chief People and Development Officer at Oscar Mayer.
Company Shop Group will support Oscar Mayer by offering a unified redistribution pathway for its three UK locations and will provide technical assistance to ensure product traceability and brand protection.
Additionally, the partnership will focus on waste reduction by identifying and capturing surplus at earlier stages of the production process through the ‘Surplus Unlocked’ initiative.
The surplus stock will be distributed through Company Shop stores and the social enterprise Community Shop, which aids British individuals facing food insecurity in some of the UK’s most deprived areas.
“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.