Retail News|April 2021|www.retailnews.ie|7
News
Aldi donates an extra €25,000 of non-surplus food to FoodCloud ALDI is donating an additional €25,000 in retail value of non-surplus food to FoodCloud as the charity announces it is experiencing ongoing record demand for its services due to Covid-19. As part of its programme of increased support to FoodCloud, Aldi is also: • Increasing its daily store donations of surplus food to community groups with a charitable purpose, in addition to registered charities, for the first time. • Increasing the frequency of retail surplus food donations to seven days a week, to include Saturdays and Sundays. • Introducing a new volunteering programme for staff. Aldi’s store Charity Champions will be allocated paid hours to support FoodCloud’s dedicated teams in distributing food from their Hubs. • Donating unsold poultry, beef, duck and lamb at Easter, following its successful donation of similar foods over Christmas.
Pictured are (l-r): Aldi Buying and CSR Director, Laura Harper, and FoodCloud Co-Founder and Partnerships Director, Aoibheann O’Brien, at Aldi’s Newlands Cross store, Clondalkin, Co. Dublin.
“We are proud to continue to support FoodCloud with additional donations,” noted John Curtin, Aldi Group Buying Director. “We are also extending our reach to help more charities and people in need across local communities. Covid-19 has put increasing pressure on us all and we are looking forward to lending an extra hand through our new staff volunteering programme.” Meanwhile, Aldi has announced two new stores for the future,
in Cootehill, Co. Cavan, and Blackrock, Co. Cork. Aldi has submitted a planning application for the new 1,315 square metres Cootehill store to Cavan County Council. The store, which will create up to 25 new permanent jobs, will be centrally located on Station Road close to Market Street. The 1,337 square metre store in Blackrock will be Aldi’s second store in Blackrock when it opens in 2024, with an existing store also on Skehard Road, and will create up to 30 new jobs. Both stores will be constructed in Aldi’s award-winning Project Fresh design, powered by 100% green electricity.
Tetra Pak launches tethered caps to reduce littering
Consumers buying Irish during pandemic.
TETRA Pak is ready to deploy its portfolio of tethered cap solutions, which will help to minimise litter, as the cap will stay attached to the package. The company also plans to produce its tethered caps as a plant-based option, therefore increasing the renewable content of the package. In tandem, Tetra Pak is accelerating the expansion of its paper straws offering to ensure further renewable and low carbon materials across its range of packaging solutions. “These are key milestones in our journey towards the world’s most sustainable food package: a carton that is fully made from renewable or recycled materials, is fully recyclable and carbon-neutral,” says Lars Holmquist, Executive Vice President Packaging Solutions and Commercial Operations, Tetra Pak. These steps are also central to ensuring that Tetra Pak’s customers in Europe will be ready to comply with the Single Use Plastics (SUP) Directive, an integral part of the wider approach announced in the Plastics Strategy and an important element of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan. With this in mind, Tetra Pak has accelerated innovation in the caps area, as Lars notes: “The significant challenge of deploying tethered caps is the scale of the change that this brings across the value chain. If we look at Europe alone, more than 1,000 packaging lines supplied by us will be potentially transformed, translating into over 20 billion packages which are expected to be converted. All of that in three years, while minimising impact on our customers’ operations, optimising the consumer experience and contributing to both minimising litter and creating a carton package with increased plant-based and recycled content.”
THERE is clear evidence that consumers are increasingly buying Irish throughout the global health pandemic brought about by Covid-19, delegates at a key food and drinks industry symposium hosted by Love Irish Food heard recently. According to research from Kantar presented during the Love Irish Food conference, 44 of the top 100 selling take home grocery brands in Ireland during 2020 were Irish produced. Over the past year during the pandemic, this cohort of 44 brands has grown by 18% to a total of €1.07 billion in combined sales. These Irish brands currently capture 48% of the money spent among the top 100 selling take home grocery brands in Ireland. “The contribution of Irish manufactured food and drink brands to the local and national economies in Ireland is both vital and immense,” said Kieran Rumley, Executive Director at Love Irish Food. “Love Irish Food aims to educate Irish consumers so that they recognise Irish brands. Buying more Irish made products helps Irish businesses survive and protects Irish jobs, which is critical in the current climate in the context of the global health pandemic and will be crucial in driving economic recovery.” Love Irish Food believe that Brexit brings the potential for import substitution –producing locally what we previously imported. “The decisions taken by Irish Kieran Rumley, consumers can play a key role in this Executive Director regard,” Kieran Rumley argued. at Love Irish Food.
