Aldi is donating 10 tonnes of cereal and 5,000 gallons of milk to food banks to support adults skipping meals during the school Easter holidays.
The discounter’s ‘adult breakfast club’ initiative follows research which found 44% of parents from lower-income households were skipping meals to ensure there was enough food for their family.
A survey commissioned by Aldi of 1,000 UK parents from low-income households also found a third said they were buying less food than six months ago, with some of the biggest cutbacks including key breakfast items such as milk and cereal.
Aldi is donating cereal and milk to food banks across the country from today (27 March) through its redistribution partner Neighbourly, which links stores with local charities and community groups.
A separate survey by Neighbourly of 130 local charities in February this year found demand for food provision had increased by an estimated 159% in the pervious 12 months. Nearly all of those surveyed (96%) expected it to increase further in the year ahead, and 94% thought parents went without as much food during school holidays to prioritise their children.
Aldi is also encouraging customers to donate at aldi.co.uk/neighbourly.
“We believe having access to healthy food should be a right, not a privilege,” said Aldi UK corporate responsibility director Liz Fox. “The thought that parents are having to skip meals to ensure their children can eat is terrible.
“Our partnership with Neighbourly to donate surplus food from our stores helps to support the communities where we operate, but we want to be able to help parents too. We hope the adult breakfast club will help provide everyday breakfast essentials to parents who otherwise would be going without.”
Neighbourly CEO Steve Butterworth said: “We are now seeing the real-world effects of the cost of living crisis, and this is what it looks like: parents sitting with empty or half-empty plates at mealtimes to ensure their children have enough food.
“Creating a dedicated breakfast club to ensure these parents are getting the nutrients they need and deserve is a brilliant initiative and one we hope will make a tangible difference in our community.”
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