MONTREAL, January 29, 2024 – METRO is proud to have donated $63 million worth of food in 2023 to its community partners Feed Ontario, Food Banks of Quebec and New Brunswick's Food Depot Alimentaire. No less than 4 million kilos of food were recovered, the equivalent of 8 million meals that were consumed and not thrown away. In addition to these food donations, METRO made a financial contribution of $7.4 million to many organizations, including these three long-standing partners.
The One More Bite program, METRO's leading initiative in its fight against food waste, donates quality unsold food collected from nearly 500 stores in its various banners such as Metro, Super C, Food Basics and Adonis to local food banks. From 2016 to 2023, this program, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, will have helped recover and redistribute over 27 million kilos of food, the equivalent of more than 53 million meals.
"The money and goods donated to the organizations, which play a key role in helping the most vulnerable, enable concrete assistance such as the distribution of food baskets, meals and snacks," mentions Marie-Claude Bacon, Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communications. "We know that times are tough for many in our communities, which is why we have increased our community investments by 35% over last year. Knowing that every dollar received by a food bank can provide up to three meals, we know that our support makes a real difference."
Second edition of the Healthy Together campaign
As a complement to One More Bite, the annual Healthy Together fundraising campaign, which ran in November and December 2023 in Metro, Super C, Food Basics, Adonis and Première Moisson stores, as well as in Jean Coutu and Brunet affiliated pharmacies in Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick, invited customers to make a donation at the checkout. Thanks to their generosity, the second edition of this campaign will have donated more than $3.2 million to help fight food insecurity. To help launch this second multi-banner campaign, METRO announced it was doubling its corporate contribution, with a total donation of $1,050,000 to our three food bank partners.
At METRO, community investment goes beyond the monetary contributions of the company, its employees and its customers. The company offers its teams the opportunity to get involved in their community by taking part in a volunteer program. In 2023, 370 colleagues had the opportunity to spend half a day volunteering for organizations in their community. Their commitment resulted in nearly 1,400 hours donated to 15 charities in Quebec and Ontario, making a significant difference in communities METRO serves.
Finally, in 2023, METRO was proud to obtain Imagine Canada’s Caring Company certification. This certification is awarded to companies that demonstrate leadership in social impact and community engagement by using at least 1% of their pre-tax profits to support their communities.
About METRO Inc.
With annual sales of more than $20 billion, METRO Inc. is a food and pharmacy leader in Québec and Ontario, providing employment to more than 97,000 people. Its purpose is to Nourish the health and well-being of our communities. As a retailer, franchisor, distributor, manufacturer, and provider of eCommerce services, the company operates or services a network of some 980 food stores under several banners including Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Adonis and Première Moisson, and 640 pharmacies primarily under the Jean Coutu, Brunet, Metro Pharmacy and Food Basics Pharmacy banners. For more details, visit corpo.metro.ca.
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METRO Inc.
Media Relations
media@metro.ca
514 643-1009 or 1 800 463-2190