The Power of Backhaul: A Groundbreaking Collaboration in Food Redistribution

The partnership between Morrisons and The Bread and Butter Thing (Bread and Butter) is a pioneering collaboration tackling both food waste and food insecurity across the UK. Since 2021, Morrisons has donated over 10,500 tonnes of surplus food, equivalent to 25 million meals, enabling Bread and Butter to support thousands of low-income families while significantly cutting carbon emissions.

At the heart of the partnership is a ground-breaking backhaul initiative, repurposing Morrisons’ returning delivery trucks to collect surplus stock from five national depots. This has prevented 105,411 road miles and 263,527 tonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2024 alone. The partnership also includes direct farm collaborations with producers like Riviera and Hammond Produce, rescuing over 170 tonnes of outgrade crops and creating nearly 500,000 nutritious meals.

Beyond logistics, this long-term alliance demonstrates what happens when a retailer truly invests in social impact. Morrisons’ ongoing support has helped scale Bread and Butter’s operations, reduce operational costs, and improve access to healthy food in overlooked communities. Together, they’ve built a model that’s not only financially and environmentally sustainable, but also scalable and deeply human in its impact, transforming surplus into sustenance, and distribution into dignity for people across the UK.