If you love Starbucks food but are put off by the price tag, we’ve got some good news for you.
During the last hour of trading in more than 350 UK Starbucks stores, food nearing its expiry date will now be sold at a 50% discount.
As well as getting a bargain, you’ll also be helping a good cause by snapping up the deals. The new initiative is designed to address the issue of food waste in the retail industry, as the discounted food would otherwise be thrown away.
In addition, the initiative will help towards tacking the issue of global hunger, as the entire sale of each item will be donated to the leading humanitarian organisation Action Against Hunger, to help fund its projects helping malnourished children worldwide.
The expansion of this new programme comes after a successful trial in 16 Starbucks stores in Manchester earlier this year.
Feedback from customers and employees was overwhelmingly positive, and over an 11-week period, £1,500 was donated to Action Against Hunger from food sales.
Commenting on the initiative, Simon Redfern, head of communications at Starbucks Europe, said: “Tackling a challenge like food waste is not an easy one, but we’re proud to have developed a programme which will deliver for the long term. Off the back of the success of our Manchester trial, we’re pleased to roll out this programme to the rest of our company owned British stores, and will be working with our franchise partners to see where else this programme could work as well.
“Action Against Hunger is a respected international charity, and we’re looking forward to working with them on this initiative to support projects alleviating the impact of food poverty.”
Matt White, director of fundraising and communications at Action Against Hunger, added: “Action Against Hunger applaud the Starbucks initiative to tackle food waste. Our global food systems face tough challenges and addressing food waste is one of the most effective ways to support change. Right now there are 16 million children in the world suffering from the severest form of malnutrition.
“Every year between one and two million children die because they don’t have access to the right nutrition and healthy environment to grow up strong. By working together with Starbucks and their customers we aim to reduce food waste whilst raising money to save children’s lives where food security is threatened most – from Yemen and Iraq, to the countries currently at risk of famine, including South Sudan, Somalia and Nigeria.”
You can check the closing time of your local Starbucks store by entering your location on the Starbucks website.