Waitrose, Princes Group, Alliance Food Sourcing and food redistribution charity Felix have started a UK programme to produce one million tins of Branston Baked Beans for people facing food insecurity.
The first tins have arrived at Felix, with production and distribution expected to continue until at least autumn 2026. The beans will be supplied through more than 8,000 community organisations, schools, food banks and community kitchens across the country.
The initiative differs from conventional food redistribution, which usually depends on products left unsold or approaching the end of their commercial life. Princes is instead using available factory capacity during quieter production periods to manufacture additional beans specifically for charitable distribution.
The partners are also using spare capacity across ingredients, packaging and logistics. The one million tins are expected to provide the equivalent of approximately 995,000 meals, based on Felix’s measurement of 420 grams of food per meal.
The programme was developed through Alliance Food Sourcing, a coalition of UK food companies working to convert unused production capacity and supply-chain resources into food for charities. Its work was inspired by the King’s Coronation Food Project, which brings food manufacturers, retailers and redistribution organisations together to reduce waste and address food insecurity.
Waitrose is testing similar supply-chain initiatives with fresh produce supplier Primafruit and pasta supplier Daybreak.
The Primafruit partnership is expected to distribute the equivalent of 715,000 meals by the end of 2026. It uses Waitrose’s existing supply infrastructure to redirect fruit produced during seasonal peaks that might otherwise become surplus.
The Daybreak trial has already recovered the equivalent of 240,000 meals of pasta. The surplus can arise when Italian factories switch between pasta varieties, with existing packaging and logistics then used to move the products into charitable distribution.
Together, the baked beans, fruit and pasta programmes are expected to provide more than 1.9 million meal equivalents to Felix by the end of the year, according to the John Lewis Partnership announcement.
Felix was established in 2026 following the merger of FareShare and The Felix Project. The combined organisation works with food companies and regional partners to redistribute food nationally. It currently supports around 1.5 million people through its wider network, according to the charity’s media centre.
The partnership comes as household food insecurity remains high across the UK. Research published by the Food Foundation in July 2026 found that 12.2% of UK households were experiencing food insecurity. This represented approximately 6.5 million adults and 2.2 million children. The rate increased to 16.7% among households with children, according to the Food Foundation’s latest findings.
The first Branston Baked Beans have now entered Felix’s distribution network. The partners will continue the production trial through at least the autumn, while the fruit programme remains on track to reach its year-end target.
