Tackling Food Insecurity
Many of our customers have a limited budget to spend on food, and an increasing number of people in the communities we serve are going hungry. As well as focusing on providing affordable, quality food, we are finding new ways to help everyone eat well.
meals donated to the community from 2021 - 23
in microloans provided through Iceland Food Club to customers unable to access mainstream credit. Available nationally.
for customers spending £25 in store
Iceland Food Club
Iceland has partnered with award-winning ethical credit provider Fair for You to pilot bespoke micro loans – supporting 4,500 financially excluded families who are hit by unexpected shocks to their budget, with the risk of going without quality food. By providing average loans of between £25 and £75, and harnessing Fair for You’s deep knowledge of the sector, early indications are already showing a reduction in Food Bank usage by 65%, with 80% of customers seeing an improvement in mental health and 95% saying that the Food Club means access to sufficient levels of food to feed their family. The pilot scheme has been developed to support the 12 million people unable to access mainstream credit in the UK, many of whom manage unstable monthly budgets due to reliance on Universal Credit.
Community Food Distribution
We divert unsold food from our depots and stores to communities, and in 2021 Iceland beat its target of redistributing a million meals, actually donating 2.3 million meals to community partners. Stores also offer food nearing the end of its shelf life to colleagues for free.
From 2022 onwards, an additional partnership with OLIO, the UK’s number one free sharing app, will further stop surplus food from going to waste and re-distribute it amongst local communities across the UK.
Find out more about our approach to surplus food here.
Support for The Cost of Living Crisis
Support for Older Customers
In 2022, Iceland became the first supermarket to pilot an over-60s discount. The 10% discount is available to those over sixty every Tuesday and applies across all products in Iceland and Food Warehouse stores.
Bonus Card
Our unique Iceland Bonus Card can help with budgeting as it gives customers £1 for every £20 they save, as well as exclusive deals and offers.
Staff Discount Increase
All Iceland colleagues receive a discount on their shopping in store. In May 2022, this was increased from 10% to 15%.
Healthy Start and Best Start Foods
Iceland actively promotes the NHS Healthy Start Scheme in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and the Best Start Foods scheme, which operates in Scotland. Both schemes provide free healthy food for low-income families with young children. In an industry first, in 2022 and 2023 the business is promoting the schemes on 90 million milk bottles and branded home delivery vans, to raise awareness and take-up among our customers and the communities we serve.