The supermarket giant is making a large donation of groceries to shortage-hit food banks (Picture: REX)

Morrisons is to hand out £10 million worth of groceries to help restock food banks during the coronavirus pandemic.

The supermarket’s bakery, egg and fruit and vegetable teams will work for an extra hour each day to prepare goods, CEO David Potts said.

It will also deliver staples such as canned food and pasta to its outlets to be sent on to food banks.

Food banks across the country have been forced to close or scale down as volunteer numbers and donations were brought down by the virus.


Morrisons have brought in purchase limits and social distancing rules to its supermarkets (Picture: Rex)

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Food banks have had to scale down drastically during the outbreak (Picture: AFP)

Morrisons also plans to loosen or remove purchase limits on certain items and install drop-off points to make it easier for shoppers to donate products.



The company, which plans for the £10 million of goods to be distributed by July, is the only UK supermarket to have its own sites supplying fresh food.

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Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Monday, Mr Potts said: ‘As a food maker and shopkeeper we are uniquely placed to help.

‘We know food banks are finding life very difficult and running our manufacturing sites for an extra hour each day to help restock them is the right decision at this time.’

Shortages are thought to be down to a combination of panic-buying and mass self-isolation of elderly people, who are more likely to donate (Picture: CRYSTAL PIX / BACKGRID)

He also praised shoppers’ responses to social distancing rules introduced at its stores and said staff had made changes to minimise the risk of exposure.

‘Our staff – along with ourselves – follow the Public Health England advice. We listen quite carefully to the authorities and we provide the opportunity to be protected at the tills.

‘We’ve closed down many counters, we’ve become much more of a self service business; (we are) washing hands and taking all of the social distancing measures.’

Last week Co-op said it will donate £1.5 million worth of produce to food redistribution charity FareShare.

Lidl will this week begin handing out free fruit and vegetable bags to NHS staff.

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