Company Shop Group, the UK’s leading redistributor of surplus food and household products, has this week been crowned winner of the prestigious Innovation Award at the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) Awards 2021.

The Group, which handled more than 80 million surplus items last year alone, scooped its second award in this category in recognition of its pioneering initiative, the Luminary Programme.

Born through collaboration, the Luminary Programme is a first-of-its-kind mentoring scheme for leaders and rising stars across the food and drink sector. It seeks to deliver a step change in the amount of good food and products that needlessly go to waste.

The programme is devised and delivered by leading figures in supply chain surplus, with some of the global names participating including Amazon, Nestlé, Unilever and M&S.

It combines a mixture of toolkits, webinars and individual mentoring, equipping delegates with the skills and insight they need to be the driving force for change within their own organisations.

Alongside the long list of global and national corporations involved – and Company Shop’s surplus experts – the programme included expert witness speakers. This included Dr Liz Goodwin OBE, Senior Fellow and Director of Food Loss and Waste for the World Resources Institute; the British Retail Consortium’s Chief Executive Helen Dickinson, Dr Richard Swannell, International Engagement Director at Wrap, and CEO of Biffa plc, Michael Topham.

A core objective of the programme is to educate, mentor and change mindsets about waste, helping to grow sustainable business leaders of the future.

As a business which has been at the forefront of the sustainability agenda for over five decades, Company Shop Group is committed to delivering long-term and sustainable solutions for the industry, and the success of this approach has once again been recognised with this latest award win.

Steph McGinty, Managing Director of Company Shop Group said:

“We are incredibly proud to have received the FDF Innovation Award for our truly pioneering Luminary Programme, which is now in its second year following the success of our first industry cohort.

“At Company Shop Group we are all about delivering sustainable surplus solutions which create positive and long-lasting legacies for the benefit of the industry and business, communities and the planet. Our Luminary Programme really pushed the boundaries for how businesses can reduce their waste, and we look forward to seeing the continued results of this innovation.

“I would like to thank all of the businesses, luminaries, senior sponsors, experts witness and Company Shop Group colleagues who have brought so much insight and passion to the programme, making it what it is today. A big thank you also goes to FDF for the award, and to Defra and WRAP for their ongoing support for the programme.”