FoodCloud delivered €9.1m in meals to community groups

TALLAGHT-based FoodCloud oversaw the delivery of the equivalence of 7.2 million meals in 2020 – the food estimated to the value of €9.1 million.

During the peak of the pandemic in April and May 2020, FoodCloud more than doubled the amount of food redistributed from an average of 30 tonnes per week in February to over 60 tonnes per week.

According to its annual report, total income including fundraising for 2020 increased to €8.4m, which included a full year’s contribution from the merger of FoodCloud Hubs with FoodCloud.

FoodCloud CEO Iseult Ward said 2020 was “a year like no other”, citing “extreme peaks and troughs” in the supply of food, limited volunteer availability, restrictive Covid-19 work practices, panic buying and the closure of the hospitality sector.

However, by the end of the year, Ms Ward was “so proud” to announce in December that after seven years in operation, FoodCloud reached the “incredible milestone of 100 million meals redistributed to over 10,500 community groups in Ireland and internationally”.

In March 2020, FoodCloud launched a Covid-19 emergency food and funding appeal, which resulted in a 30 per cent increase on the number of food industry partners the group worked with.

The appeal also raised over €900,000 to meet the increased operating costs.

FoodCloud worked with over 190 food companies, including Glanbia, Kellogg’s, Meade Potato Company, Nestlé and Mars Ireland to redistribute 1,737 tonnes of surplus and donated food through its three FoodCloud warehousing hubs in Cork, Dublin and Galway to a network of 281 community groups.

It also worked with food retailers Aldi, Dunnes, Lidl, Musgrave MarketPlace and Tesco to redistribute an additional 1,285 tonnes of surplus food.

Total income for 2020, including grants and donations, amounted to €8.4 million.