BIG INTERVIEW


match the needs of our partners, and in the last 12 months we have stopped more than 4.6 million surplus confectionery products from going to waste.


There can be a perception that surplus redistribution is simply about finding somewhere to sell products that have not sold through. How does the reality differ, particularly when it comes to protecting brand value, food safety, traceability


and the


commercial


for when this does happen. We work side-by-side with our partners


to help them reduce waste and capture any excess or out of spec product to keep it in the human food chain as long as possible. Our teams undertake regular factory visits and walk through the operations to understand where there may be product that is being classed as waste that can actually be captured and redistributed with a bit of clever intervention.


Confectionery is a category where brands invest heavily in NPD, limited editions and seasonal formats. Does the sheer volume of innovation coming to market create additional challenges around surplus – and are there ways companies can design products or production runs with their eventual redistribution in mind? Confectionery is naturally a very dynamic category, with fast-moving social media trends, constant promotional products, changes in flavours and reformations. Limited editions and NPD are essential to the category, and some products will be more successful than others, meaning there could be some surplus if a product doesn’t take off as planned. These products can be redistributed in the same way as any surplus, along with any left-over ingredients from the production process which can also be redistributed.


What does the redistribution process actually look like for confectionery, from the moment surplus is identified by a manufacturer or retailer through to it reaching a consumer? What are the biggest logistical or commercial hurdles along the way? A partner will tell us what surplus they have so our team can assess volumes,


24 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • OCTOBER 2026 dates and condition to understand


whether it is a simple case of logistics and processing, which will then mean getting the stock into our redistribution centres and out to stores. If the products require some form of intervention, our in-house technical team will assess the products and create a work plan so that they can be managed through in the correct way to ensure all products that go into our stores are fully compliant with the relevant labelling and packaging requirements. Our redistribution centres operate


24/7 and partners can either send surplus to us or we can collect from their sites; we are here to create the right solution and have the flexibility to


interests of the original supplier? Sometimes the surplus we handle is products that just haven’t sold through in the anticipated volumes or timeframe. To us it’s just surplus, and we will find a way to redistribute this to our members and stop the stock being wasted. But this isn’t the only confectionery surplus that we handle. Loose products often become surplus when more product was created than packaging. This surplus can be delivered in bulk containers and we will repackage, weigh and label, ready for our members. There could be a mistake on product packaging that means it can’t be sold in its current state. This can be relabelled and made compliant. We handle everything from loose products that need repackaging, through to products that have been incorrectly labelled. Whatever the product we know that


protecting our partners’ brands is crucial. We have BRC accreditation and provide traceability of products throughout the redistribution process so that our partners know their products and brand are protected.


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