• PepsiCo and FareShare build on seven-year partnership with additional collaboration in 2025 to help farmers redistribute surplus food and boost employment opportunities for people in Leicester
• Two existing FareShare programmes will be funded by a £210,000 grant from PepsiCo's philanthropic arm, the PepsiCo Foundation
• Initiative comes as PepsiCo and FareShare reach a significant milestone in their long-standing partnership, with more than 2,200 tonnes of PepsiCo's snack and oat products donated since December 2017

PepsiCo has yesterday announced an expansion of its long-term partnership with FareShare, the UK's leading food redistribution charity, by helping to support two programmes aimed at tackling food waste and boosting employability in Leicestershire, the home of PepsiCo's Walkers crisps.

Building on a seven-year tie-up between PepsiCo and FareShare, the new funding for 2025 is being backed by a £210,000 grant from the PepsiCo Foundation. As the philanthropic arm of one of the world's largest global food and beverage companies, the PepsiCo Foundation aims to help transform the food system by using PepsiCo's global scale to drive local impact by increasing equitable access to nutritious food.

The grant will help fund two of FareShare's existing programmes:

1. Surplus with Purpose – making it easier and more cost effective for farmers and producers across the UK to divert surplus fresh vegetables to FareShare's network of 8,000 charities and community organisations – redistributing an equivalent of 550,000 meals* in 2025. These charities help provide vital wraparound services including after school and breakfast clubs.
2. Leicestershire employability programme – through tailored workshops, job application support and one-to-one mentoring, the funding is estimated to help prepare over 600 local people for the world of work

Support of the two initiatives marks an expansion of PepsiCo's seven-year partnership with FareShare which includes volunteering support alongside donations. Since December 2017, the company has provided more than 2,200 tonnes of surplus and donated products to charities across the UK, which are then turned into meals for people in need. In the last six months alone, PepsiCo employees have clocked 270 hours of volunteering at FareShare distribution centres.

Both programmes align with PepsiCo Positive, PepsiCo's health and sustainability plan that drives positive action for the planet and people. This includes working closely with more than 290 farmers across the UK on a range of programmes and trials to help scale regenerative farming practices, as part of its Positive Agriculture strategy.

Jason Richards, SVP and General Manager at PepsiCo UK and Ireland, said: "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."

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."