Co-op have ditched this year’s Christmas advert to focus on community food projects

CO-op have ditched its Christmas advert this year to focus on a community food campaign project.

The supermarket is pumping its ad campaign cash into a network of Your Local Pantry shops where Brits can pick up food at a discount.

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And it is live streaming a cookalong on Instagram with chef and rapper Big Zuu tonight to share tips on making groceries go further.

Co-op will fund 150 new shops, bringing the total of Your Local Pantry supermarkets up to 225.

Shirine Khoury-Haq, CEO at Co-op said: “Whilst many of our competitors are adapting their Christmas ads to reflect the mood of the nation in a cost-of-living crisis, we are going further by pulling our ad altogether.

“In doing so we will be shining a light on the need to support vital community causes, throughout the year and not just at Christmas, especially with a deep recession looming.”

Tonight’s cook along with Big Zuu and chef Miguel Barclay will be streamed from the Local Peckham Pantry in South London.

Big Zuu added: “Everyone deserves access to great quality food at affordable prices.

“I hope that by visiting the Peckham Pantry and cooking up some healthy, tasty and more affordable meals with the team, more people in need will seek out community initiatives like Your Local Pantry.”

Your Local Pantry shops support over 32,000 low-income households and sells food that would otherwise go to waste at a discount.

For a maximum membership fee of £5 a week, shoppers choose ten items Members pay a maximum of £5 to choose ten reduced groceries and products like nappies to help with their weekly shop.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk