PepsiCo Foundation Backs FareShare With £210K To Tackle Waste And Unemployment

The PepsiCo Foundation has announced an expanded partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare through a new £210,000 grant to support efforts tackling food waste and improving job prospects in Leicestershire — home to PepsiCo’s Walkers crisps.

Image: FareShare

The funding will support two key programmes led by FareShare. The first, Surplus with Purpose, is designed to make it easier and more cost effective for farmers and producers across the UK to redirect surplus fresh vegetables to FareShare’s nationwide network of 8,000 charities and community groups. In 2025 alone, the programme redistributed the equivalent of 550,000 meals.

Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare, said: “We are excited to be working with PepsiCo on this new stage of our partnership, that will help us deliver greater impact to communities across the UK, through the power of surplus food.

“We are so grateful to everyone at PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation for choosing to fund these two programmes.

“While so much edible food goes to waste on our farms every year, FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose scheme ensures farmers can get more of this good-to-eat nutritious fresh produce to people, rather than letting it go to waste.

“This partnership will also make an important contribution to our employability programme, helping hundreds of people seek long-term employment in the food industry. These programmes support FareShare’s mission get more good-to-eat surplus food to people in need, helping to strengthen communities across the UK.”

The second programme backed by the funding is FareShare’s Leicestershire Employability Programme, which provides tailored support to 600 jobseekers. The initiative offers personalised workshops, CV and job application support, and one-to-one mentoring.

The £210,000 grant builds on a seven-year collaboration between PepsiCo and FareShare. Since December 2017, PepsiCo has provided over 2,200 tonnes of surplus and donated products to charities across the UK. Additionally, PepsiCo employees have dedicated 270 hours volunteering at FareShare distribution centres.

Jason Richards, Senior Vice President and General Manager at PepsiCo UK and Ireland, commented: “We’re proud to have partnered with FareShare for over seven years to fight hunger and tackle food waste together.

“This increased support will make an even bigger difference, giving jobseekers the leg up they need to succeed, while also transforming surplus food into meals for charities and community groups across the UK.

“We’re encouraging growers in our network to sign up to the scheme as an extension of our work towards a more sustainable food system.”