Asda backs down over controversial food bank ban
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Version 0 of 1. Asda has staged a U-turn on its controversial decision to remove donation points for food banks and other charities from all of its UK stores. On 17 February, the supermarket giant said that the donation points were to be removed immediately without any explanation. The decision was widely criticised with The Trussell Trust, which co-ordinates Britain’s national network of food banks, claiming food banks would face donation cuts of up to a third. Food collection points disappeared in Hampshire, Lancashire, Norwich and Newcastle. A number of MPs voiced concern about the policy change and 88,000 people signed a petition backed by 38 degrees. Backtracking after public criticism, Asda, which is owned by US giant Walmart, has now confirmed that unmanned collection points will be reinstated to supermarkets. A spokesperson from Asda told The Independent the initial decision to remove unmanned food banks and have in-store community reps allowed the firm to invest an extra £2 million in good causes. The spokesperson added: “As a retailer who is committed to supporting our local communities we never intended to stop food banks or similar local charities collecting in our stores. “We made some changes to our community programme around unmanned collections in the belief that this would benefit the many local good causes who collect in our stores. “On this occasion our customers and colleagues have told us they understand our intentions, but prefer us to continue to give charities more options to maximise donations. We are therefore reinstating unmanned collection points. “Asda plays an important role in the communities we serve and we look forward to continuing to support many more local charities and good causes.” In the immediate aftermath of the initial annoucement, Tesco announced it would be setting up 100 new collection points in its stores. |