Iceland has ramped up its range of cost of living initiatives with a new partnership that will see it provide families on a low income with a free freezer.
The frozen foods supermarket has teamed up with electrical retailer Currys and food brand Birds Eye in a bid to help those who are affected by rising prices.
Beginning from next month, the supermarket chain and Currys will begin a trial that will see a small number of households provided with a freezer completely free of charge.
Households involved with the trial will be those that are based in properties owned by Clarion Housing Group, based in greater Manchester, which has also worked together to help tailor the package of support, reports The Mirror. It is currently not available in Scotland.
The initial pilot scheme will see Currys donate the freezers to families following a consultation with each household that is taking part, as it will identify the best soltuion for them based on their needs, available space and energy use, in a bid to help with the impact of energy costs.
Additionally, Iceland will work with Birds Eye to help provide further support to individual families by offering face-to-face classes and online classes, recipes and help with budgeting.
The initiative comes after research from Manchester Metropolitan University showed that families switching from fresh to frozen food halve their food waste and reduce their household grocery bill by almost a quarter.
An evaluation and a white paper of the results of the initial trial will then be conducted by the university, which will then be shared with UK policymakers, social landlords and local authorities.
The results of the pilot scheme will determine whether having better access to frozen food can help households reduce their food waste and energy bills during the crucial cost of living crisis.
Iceland has said that it hopes its involvement in the pilot scheme would act as a “call to action” for policymakers to improve the accessibility to frozen food for lower-income households.
Richard Walker, Iceland's executive chairman, said: "The cost-of-living crisis is a concern for households across the UK and we know many people will be looking for ways to lower the cost of their food sho
"This unique community project will help families with barriers to freezer ownership, and we hope that we will find that families can save money and improve their diets when they are able to access and use freezers and frozen food."
Birds Eye general manager Steve Challouma said: “By making healthy options more convenient, and by reducing food waste, we hope that this project succeeds in helping participating families and households adopt healthier and more affordable eating habits.”
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