This year, Colruyt Group’s annual collection campaign for the Food Banks allows customers to choose which healthy meal they would like to donate themselves: a breakfast, meal, fresh food pack or children’s pack, through donations of €2, €4, €6 or €10. These amounts are donated directly to the Food Banks, which are facing difficult times. Through this campaign, the Belgian retailer is stepping up its support for the 70,000 families who rely on the Food Banks each month. This financial support comes on top of the 10,460 tonnes of unsold products (equivalent to 20.9 million meals) that Colruyt Group donated last year to nearly 205,000 Belgians in vulnerable situations. The campaign runs till May 19 at Colruyt, Collect&Go, Okay, Bio-Planet and Spar Colruyt Group stores.
Colruyt Group is the top performer in reducing food waste. In addition, the retail group is also the largest food donor to the Food Banks: last year, 10,460 tonnes of food were donated, equivalent to 20.9 million meals.
Anne Verdoolaege, responsible for the partnership with the Food Banks at Colruyt Group: “We sell more than 97% of the fresh and frozen products in our stores. Unfortunately, reducing unsold products to zero is not realistic. Within our sector, we ensure that these surpluses are given the best possible use. That is why we have chosen to work with the Food Banks for more than 10 years. All our stores and distribution centres work directly and indirectly with more than 400 social organisations. This ensures that our quality products reach those who need them most.”
In addition to food donations, financial contributions are also needed. Local organisations depend largely on Colruyt Group for the fresh products they collect. During the campaign period, till May 19, customers can donate a healthy food pack in three ways: by having the barcode of the chosen amount scanned at the checkout, by scanning the QR code themselves and making a donation, or by donating 100 loyalty points in the Xtra app.
“We strongly believe that many small donations can make a big difference,” Anne Verdoolaege continues. “Every donation helps bring healthy food to people facing financial hardship. In 2025, together with our customers, we raised nearly €140,000. This enabled the Food Banks to support more than 210,000 people each month through 9 regional Food Banks and nearly 700 local organisations.”
For Marc Mertens, Managing Director of the Belgian Federation of Food Banks, the support of Colruyt Group customers is essential: “From this year onwards, the Food Banks are entering difficult times. On the one hand, the quantity of goods that can be purchased through the European Social Fund has fallen sharply, because the federal co-financing added to the European budget has been significantly reduced. On the other hand, we fear that several political decisions, including the time limitation on unemployment benefits, will increase demand for our support. We are facing a choice: either significantly reduce the support we provide per person in need, or purchase additional food ourselves. We want to focus as much as possible on the second option. That is why Colruyt Group’s campaign is essential for us, and comes at exactly the right time. We therefore hope that customers will donate as many healthy meals as possible.”
