Nestlé Purina is to donate one million pouches of pet food to social enterprise supermarket Community Shop.
The donation is made up from pouches from the company’s Felix and Gourmet ranges where the ‘Use By’ date has become too close to sell through normal retail channels, while still being safe to consume.
Community Shop is a social enterprise supermarket, founded in 2013 by redistribution organisation Company Shop Group, which sells food to its members at heavily discounted prices. It operates sites in London, South Yorkshire, Northeast Lincolnshire and the North West. Membership of Community Shop is open to those who live locally and receive welfare support.
Purina has donated to Community Shop in the past, most notably during the Covid-19 pandemic, but this allocation is Purina’s biggest Community Shop donation to date.
Andrew Leitch, supply chain director for Purina UK, said: “We know that many people are struggling at the moment and this, of course, includes pet owners. We also know how vital the companionship of our pets can be and what a positive impact our bonds with them can have on mental and physical wellbeing, especially at times of stress and crisis.
“That’s why we’re delighted to be able to make this donation to Community Shop in the hope we can help more families and pets stay together and stay happy and healthy during these difficult times.”
Steph McGinty, group managing director at Community Shop, added: “This donation will make a huge difference to so many of our members, who are not only struggling to feed themselves and their families, but also their beloved pets.
“After Purina’s previous donation, during the pandemic, we received a huge amount of feedback about the positive impact of having such a strong supply of heavily discounted pet food made to members.”
