PepsiCo has announced a significant expansion of its partnership with FareShare to fund two key projects in 2025 that will reduce food waste and help over 600 people find employment in Leicestershire. The £210,000 grant builds on seven years of fruitful collaboration.
PepsiCo has announced a further extension of its long-standing partnership with FareShare, the UK’s leading food redistribution charity. The initiative will help reduce food waste and improve employment opportunities in Leicestershire, where PepsiCo’s Walkers crisps are made.
Backed by a £210,000 grant from the PepsiCo Foundation, the partnership will support two key FareShare initiatives in 2025. The initiatives are designed to repurpose surplus food from farms and help over 600 people find employment.
Funding to boost food redistribution and employment support
The PepsiCo Foundation is the philanthropic arm of PepsiCo, working to transform global food systems. By investing in local solutions, the Foundation aims to increase access to nutritious food and support community resilience.
Funding for 2025 will support two established FareShare programmes:
Surplus Veg with a Purpose – helping farmers and producers across the UK send surplus veg to FareShare’s network of 8,000 charities. This will deliver the equivalent of 550,000 meals in 2025 alone. These meals will support vital services such as breakfast clubs and extra-curricular activities.
Leicestershire Employability Programme – providing bespoke workshops, mentoring and job search support. The programme aims to prepare over 600 talents in Leicestershire for employment in the food and retail sectors.
Seven Years of Impact and Counting
Since the partnership launched in December 2017, PepsiCo has donated over 2,200 tonnes of surplus and snack products to FareShare. These donations have been transformed into millions of meals for people facing food insecurity.
In the past six months alone, PepsiCo employees have contributed 270 volunteer hours at FareShare distribution centres, helping to sort and deliver food to those who need it most.
Strengthening Sustainable Food Systems
These new initiatives support PepsiCo’s global sustainability strategy, PepsiCo Positive. In the UK, this includes working closely with more than 290 farmers to promote regenerative farming practices. By addressing environmental and social challenges, PepsiCo is committed to creating a more sustainable and fairer food system.
Industry and charity leaders welcomed the news
Jason Richards, Senior Vice President and General Manager, UK and Ireland, PepsiCo, said:
We are proud to have partnered with FareShare for more than seven years. This new funding will help jobseekers get closer to employment while ensuring surplus food reaches those who need it most. We also encourage our growers to participate in the program and work together to build a fairer and more sustainable food system.
Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare, added:
“We are excited to deepen our partnership with PepsiCo and its Foundation. Their support will help provide more fresh, delicious food to people and prevent it from going to waste.”
“This funding also boosts our employability programs, helping more people get the skills and support they need to enter the workforce.”
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