UK dairy co-operative Arla has launched an initiative to ensure that hundreds of thousands of people without access to fresh dairy get the products they need.
According to FareShare, the UK’s biggest food redistribution charity, fresh dairy products are among the most requested items by users of the 8,000 charities it provides food to.
Insights have revealed that 450,000 people who rely on food charities do not have access to fresh dairy, with charities forced to decline donations due to a lack of storage facilities.
In response, Arla said it would roll out 'fully-stocked' fridges full of British-produced milk, cheese and yogurts to charities across the country, starting with 100 fridges to FareShare.
To mark the start of this initiative and raise awareness of the issue, the co-operative has also launched the world’s first free milk ATM machine.
The innovative milk dispensing machine appeared in North London earlier this week, allowing people to receive fresh milk at the push of a button.
Jonathan Dixon, senior vice president at Arla, said the co-op wanted to enhance the accessibility of British dairy products.
He added: "Too many charities have to turn away fresh dairy donations because they have nowhere to store it, but by working with FareShare we hope to overcome that.”
It comes after a study commissioned by Arla found that half of adults couldn’t imagine not having access to milk on a daily basis, with 76% consuming it at least a few times a week.
Meanwhile, 62% were not aware that not all foodbanks have fridges and therefore can’t store fresh dairy products, while half were of opinion that everyone should be able to easily get dairy based foods.
Ben Ashmore, head of external affairs at FareShare, said the demand for nutritious dairy products was increasing, but many lacked the infrastructure to store refrigerated items safely.
"This donation helps strengthen the capacity of our charity network, enabling them to support their communities better," he added.
