Written on: December 26, 2024 by SprayTM
Eviosys, a European producer of sustainable metal packaging, including aerosol cans, is collaborating with food charity FareShare to increase the output of its Food Life Extension (FLEX) project by almost a quarter (23%).
The FLEX project prevents food waste by creating long-life stocks of canned soups from fresh surplus ingredients that would have otherwise gone to waste. A total of 500,000 cans of soup will then be distributed to those in need by the end of 2024. With food poverty presenting a large, and growing, challenge across the UK—as 8 million UK adults reported experiencing food insecurity in 2024—this partnership has never been more necessary, said the companies.
The partnership between FareShare and Eviosys will mean FLEX is able to increase its projected production for the next 12 months by 145,000 cans, to a total of 625,000 cans. This equates to saving approximately 29 tonnes of fresh food from going to waste.
Once canned, FareShare’s FLEX product is delivered via its network of warehouses to 8,500 charities supporting school breakfast clubs, older people’s lunch clubs, homeless shelters and community cafés.
“As FareShare enters its 30th year, we want to look ahead to the future of tackling food waste. We are incredibly grateful to Eviosys, whose generous support enables us to deliver more food to our network of charities and community groups,” said Simon Millard, Director of Food at FareShare.
“This partnership will help charities across the UK strengthen their communities through the power of food,” Millard added.
Using cans in this partnership offers the perfect solution to providing meals to those in need as they can be stored easily and used at any point, acting to prolong the shelf-life of the food inside. Additionally, Eviosys has generously donated 112,500 cans free of change, to ensure no food is wasted.
FLEX’s surplus produce will be processed and canned by Manchester-based, NPD batch specialists, We Can Foods, with a production scale compatible with the surplus level of foods processed by FareShare. The first 145,000 Eviosys cans filled with surplus soup were distributed between May 2024 and August 2024.
“Eviosys is thrilled to support FareShare on their mission to end food waste and hunger,” said Aidan Ruddock, Commercial Director North Europe at Eviosys.
“We firmly believe in the power of metal packaging to not only make the world a more sustainable place, but also to enable access to fresh, nutritious food for all. We are proud to contribute our expertise to such a worthy cause,” Ruddock added.
