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ALDI LAUNCHES AN ADULT’S BREAKFAST CLUB AS RESEARCH REVEALS NEARLY HALF OF PARENTS FROM LOWER INCOME FAMILIES ARE SKIPPING MEALS TO ENSURE THEIR CHILDREN CAN EAT

• The cost-of-living-crisis is leading parents to sacrifice their own health, with some going without a meal as often as twice per week
• Despite this, 63% of children are complaining they’re still hungry after mealtimes as there’s simply not enough food to go round
• To support struggling parents and help ensure they are getting the sustenance they need, Aldi launches Adult’s Breakfast Club, donating 10 tonnes of healthy cereal and 5,000 gallons milk to foodbanks cross the UK
• Aldi has donated over 25 million meals to families since 2019

[London, Monday 27^th March 2023]: It is often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, providing essential nutrients and energy for the day ahead. However, the heart-breaking reality is that almost half (44%) of parents from lower income families are skipping meals to ensure their children have enough food to eat, with breakfast being the most common one to miss.

New research* from Aldi reveals that 47% of parents are now experiencing more financial pressure to feed the family compared to six months ago, with almost 2 in 3 admitting they are likely to go hungry so their little ones don’t have to. This has led to a third of parents buying less food now than they were 6-months ago, with some of the biggest cutbacks including key breakfast items such as butter, milk, and cereal.

To help ensure parents are getting the food they need, from today they will be able to access breakfast free of charge thanks to Aldi’s newly announced Adult’s Breakfast Club. Ahead of the school Easter holidays, when parents are under increased pressure to feed the entire family, the supermarket chain will donate 10 tonnes of healthy cereal and 5,000 gallons of milk and milk alternatives to foodbanks and schools across the country, with the help of charity partner Neighbourly. It will also be doubling down on its existing donations to local schools during term time, as almost a third (31%) of parents surveyed said that they rely on their children being provided breakfast by their school.

The initiative comes as many parents (37%) simply can’t afford a full shop to feed themselves and their family, and are choosing to either skip meals entirely, give children half of their meal, or make larger portions for their children than themselves. Despite these sacrifices, parents who are skipping meals are left feeling sad (32%), like a failure (25%) and tired (22%); made worse as over a quarter (27%) of these children often complain of still being hungry after mealtimes, with no additional food to go around.

With an estimated 2.1 million adults in the UK now using foodbanks**, the outlook for the year ahead is not positive, with 16% of those surveyed estimating that they will have to start using them within the next 6 months. This is supported by findings from giving platform, Neighbourly, who surveyed a selection of charity professionals that work with some of the most vulnerable families in society on a daily basis***.

New data reveals that charity professionals estimate the demand for food provision has increased by 159% in the last 12 months, with almost all (96%) expecting this to increase further in the next year. They estimate that 50% of the parents they work with are regularly skipping meals in order to put food on the table for their children, with 94% agreeing that parents go without as much food during school holidays as they prioritise feeding their children.  

The scheme from Aldi comes as 58% of charity professionals agree that there is a lack of breakfast food items being provided to charities and food banks.

Liz Fox, Corporate Responsibility Director at Aldi UK comments: “We believe that having access to healthy food should be a right, not a privilege. The thought that parents are having to skip meals to ensure their children can eat is terrible. Our partnership with Neighbourly to donate surplus food from our stores helps to support the communities where we operate, but we want to be able to help parents too. We hope the Adult Breakfast Club will help provide everyday breakfast essentials to parents who otherwise would be going without.”

Steve Butterworth, CEO of Neighbourly, adds: “We are now seeing the real-world effects of the cost-of-living-crisis, and this is what it looks like. Parents sitting with empty, or half-empty, plates at mealtimes to ensure their children have enough food. Creating a dedicated Breakfast Club to ensure these parents are getting the nutrients they need and deserve is a brilliant initiative and one we hope will make a tangible difference in our community.”

The Aldi Adult’s Breakfast Club will run from today with the supermarket chain donating 10 tonnes of cereal and 5,000 gallons of milk and milk alternatives to foodbanks across the country. Customers are encouraged to add to the existing donation by heading to www.aldi.co.uk/neighbourly – just £5 will provide 30 breakfast meals.

–ENDS–

• For further information, images or assets please contact Ciara.hutchison-reid@bcw-global.com /  fiona.baird@bcw-global.com
• High-res imagery from the animation can be downloaded here.

* Research was conducted by OnePoll between 1^st-8^th February 2023, with a sample of 1,000 UK parents from low-income households (as defined by the government department of work and pensions)

**Trussel Trust

*** Research was conducted by Neighbourly and taken from a survey of 130 local charities between 9^th and 22^nd February 2023

Notes to Editor

Aldi is one of Britain’s fastest-growing supermarkets with more than 990 stores and around 40,000 colleagues.

The supermarket believes in making everyday amazing and delivering the best possible value for millions of families throughout the UK and Ireland.

That’s why Aldi is the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket, according to consumer champion Which? (January 2023) as well as being named the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket for 2021 and 2022.

Aldi consistently racks up award after award for quality, treats its suppliers and employees with fairness and respect and recognises the responsibility of supporting valued institutions such as Team GB and Paralympics GB to demonstrate the importance of health and wellness.

Aldi makes the everyday amazing. But amazing doesn’t happen overnight, which is why Aldi is making changes to be better every single day – to be fairer, greener and healthier for customers, society and the environment.

What’s the reason they do this? Because Aldi believes that everyone should have access to fresh, healthy, affordable food. It’s a right, not a privilege.

About Neighbourly:

Neighbourly is an award-winning giving platform that matches businesses with local good causes. The platform takes the uncertainty out of doing good by connecting businesses who want to give time, money or surplus to the communities that need it most.  

Its network of over 24,000 thousand vetted local causes is mapped against impact themes and development goals so that businesses can easily connect their resources and measure the positive impact they are having on their business, employees, communities and the planet. 

Through Neighbourly’s smart-matching system, businesses are paired with causes that need their resources, allowing corporate companies to have a genuine impact on their employees and customers lives across the UK and Ireland. 

Neighbourly was one of the UK’s first B Corporations.