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Community Impact Stories
From sponsoring the local children’s football team kits to major campaigns on our leading brands, we don’t just value our success by profits, but by the good we also do in our communities. Take a look below at a few of our CSR projects from recent years.
Rice for Life in association with NHS Blood & Transplant (fourth campaign)
In December 2018 Laila launched a major, on pack campaign with NHS Blood and Transplant to highlight the critical shortage of blood donors from black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) and mixed race communities. The campaign, backed by celebrity chefs Ching-he-Huang and Cyrus Todiwala, was hailed a huge success by NHS Blood & Transplant, who reported the highest BAME New Donors Registering & Donating in the last three years during the months the campaign ran. It also helped raise awareness with significant media pick up. The campaign video attracted over 40k views via NHS social media platforms. To take a look at the campaign video
Rice for Life in association with NHS Blood & Transplant (fourth campaign)
In December 2018 Laila launched a major, on pack campaign with NHS Blood and Transplant to highlight the critical shortage of blood donors from black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) and mixed race communities. The campaign, backed by celebrity chefs Ching-he-Huang and Cyrus Todiwala, was hailed a huge success by NHS Blood & Transplant, who reported the highest BAME New Donors Registering & Donating in the last three years during the months the campaign ran. It also helped raise awareness with significant media pick up. The campaign video attracted over 40k views via NHS social media platforms. To take a look at the campaign video Click here
Rice for Life.
Over the last decade Laila has run several, on pack, ‘Rice for Life’ campaigns, in support of a range of organisations, from the British Red Cross and The Trussell Trust to NHS Blood & Transplant. Below is a summary of some of our major campaigns:
September 2011 - Laila launches its first ever ‘Rice for Life’ Campaign
In a bid to highlight the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan, following the worst floods in the country’s history, Laila launched its first ever Rice for Life campaign in association with the British Red Cross.
Spanning the month of August 2011, to coincide with Ramadan - the Muslim season of giving - funds raised from promotional Laila packs were ploughed into the British Red Cross’ relief efforts in Pakistan
As part of the recovery process, the British Red Cross provided people with seeds and fertiliser; enabling them to restore their financial independence and look after their families and live with dignity. Seeds and fertiliser were identified as playing a key role in the recovery process for thousands of families which relied on agriculture as a source of income
October 2012 – Rice for Life 2
Laila’s ‘Rice for Life’ campaign returned in October 2012 with the simple message – buy one pack, save one life.
Funds raised from promotional Laila packs were ploughed into British Red Cross’ work in Pakistan to prevent easily treatable diseases from claiming lives needlessly.Donating 20p for every promotional pack sold, each purchase genuinely had the power to save one life, as Surya’s Managing Director, Harry Dulai explained at the time: “It is amazing to think what is small change to us in the UK can actually save a life in Pakistan. Just five sachets of oral rehydration salts, costing a mere 20p, can save the life of a child suffering from diarrhoea and one simple immunisation for a child can prevent life-threatening diseases such as tuberculosis.
February 2014 – Laila Rice for Life 3
Laila’s third Rice for Life campaign was its most ambitious yet - to donate one million servings of rice to the poor and hungry via UK foodbanks and NGOs in India and Africa.
The campaign saw Laila move from a focus on international aid to also recognising the need for charitable donations in the UK - in recognition of the growing number of UK families on the poverty line. UK rice donations were channelled through leading UK foodbank charity The Trussell Trust.
The campaign was launched at the Trussell Trusts Tower Hamlet foodbank by celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala, who served up his trademark Indian cuisine to users of the centre, ably assisted by London Food Board chair and writer and broadcaster Rosie Boycott.
Dec 2017/Jan 2018 – Rice for Life in association with NHS Blood & Transplant(fourth campaign)
In 2018, Laila launched a major, on pack campaign with NHS Blood and Transplant to highlight the critical shortage of blood donors from black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) and mixed race communities. The campaign, backed by celebrity chefs Ching-he-Huang and Cyrus Todiwala, was hailed a huge success by NHS Blood & Transplant, who reported the highest BAME New Donors Registering & Donating in the last three years during the months the campaign ran. It also helped raise awareness with significant media pick up. The campaign video attracted over 40k views via NHS social media platforms. To take a look at the campaign video click here.
Colchester community sends 100k meals to Ukraine
During the Summer of 2022, World Food Aid helped coordinate a major appeal to deliver much need humanitarian aid directly from the community of Colchester to refugees in urgent need in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. An articulated truck carrying in the region of 100k meals departed Colchester in June of 2022, thanks to a tremendous community effort by the people of Colchester.
In January 2022, Surya Foods kicked off the New Year with a clear sustainability mission statement – a 3-pillar approach across: People, Products and Planet.
From our renewable energy commitments, to our health care and education programmes for farmers, fair trade policies,carbon offsetting and carbon reduction plans - becoming a business committed to sustainability is vitally important to us. We have recently implemented clear climate control goals and plans to become carbon neutral by 2035. We are also committed to reducing plastic waste and chemical residue at farmgate, with conservation, reforestation and sustainable agricultural practices high on our agenda. We have also set ourselves a target of 2025 to ensure all our primary packaging, for our own operations, is 100% recyclable.
Claudius Gateway
The spotlight of the world's press was on Colchester in February 2016 as details of the Roman Arcade beneath One Castle Park emerged following Flying Trade Construction's excavation work. A report released by Colchester Archaeological Trust documenting the historic find dominated local headlines with live TV reports on ITV and BBC News, as well as significant coverage across national titles including The Telegraph, The Times and The Daily Mail, as well as BBC Radio Essex. An open day shortly after saw more than 1,000 visitors pass through the door to take a look at the historic site which has since been transformed into a coffee shop/museum. The archaeological ruins, now visible beneath large glass floors and lit up, are considered among some of the most important finds in Europe to date and include remnants of a 400 ft long Roman Arcade which led to the Temple of Claudius. Upon discovering the historic importance of the find, FTG made the decision to preserve the ruins and safeguard an important part of UK history
Buy a Meal, Gift a Meal
In 2022, Laila launched ‘Buy a meal, gift a meal’ across a range of brand new biryani kits.Speaking about the initiative Surya Foods Managing Director, Harry Dulai, said: “This range is aimed at helping UK cooks make authentic and tasty Indian food in minutes while, simultaneously,enabling them to ‘gift a meal’ to someone in need. We wanted to create a really simple mechanic so consumers could instantly appreciate the impact of their gift to underprivileged families and communities in India. Every Laila ready to cook meal purchased helps feed one person in need.”
Diwali
In 2022, Laila rice set about making Diwali a national UK event with the launch of festive Diwali NPD aimed at both an ethnic and mainstream audience. Building on this campaign in 2023, the brand continues to support world-renowned wild animal charity Born Free - donating a penny per bag of its rice sold during Diwali month (November 2023) to help raise thousands of pounds for Born Free’s global elephant conservation work. As part of the campaign Laila gifted thousands of its Laila elephant soft toys to children’s hospitals and hospices around the country.
Fareshare
Surya Foods foods launch a partnership with Fareshare In 2015 Surya Foods kicked off a donation arrangement with Fareshare.Fareshare specialises in saving good food destined for waste and sends it on to charities and community groups across the UK who transform it into nutritious meals for vulnerable people. The charity redistribute fresh, quality and in date surplus products from the food industry. Surya Foods joined industry giants like Kelloggs and Nestle in becoming a regular contributor to the leading UK charity. It has also donated to special Fareshare projects, including ‘Hunger Holidays’ – which helps feed hungry children during the school holidays.
Coram Children’s Charity
We are proud to support this fantastic charity, recently donating hundreds of Laila soft toys for Coram's adoption days and are delighted to have staff support Coram fundraising events,including the London Landmarks Half Marathon.Coram was the first ever children’s charity founded in the UK and has been providing‘better chances for children since 1739’. It helps more than 1 million children, young people and families every year.
Born Free
In 2022 Laila announced a special corporate partnership with worldrenowned wild animal charity Born Free. We are partnering with Born Free to support its global elephant conservation work to help safeguard elephants – majestic, gentle giants which have long been a symbol of India. This is a cause close to our hearts due to our company’s South Asian heritage. The Asian elephant is classified as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).We are delighted to share last year’s impact report – highlighting all the great things Born Free has achieved during the last year thanks to support from brands like Laila.
World Food Aid
World Food Aid (WFA) founded by Harry Dulai, Managing Director of Surya Foods.
WFA is a UK-based charity on a mission to tackle the hunger issue. Since its inception in 2011, WFA has been helping improve some of the millions of lives around the world affected by hunger in the UK and abroad. Adopting the mission statement ‘Hunger – Together we can end it’, the charity considers hunger an entirely preventable pandemic and is on a mission to end it in this generation. It funds projects ranging from soup kitchens and school holiday meals to helping extreme poverty-stricken communities in countries like India and Peru, among others.
WFA was founded by Harry Dulai - Managing Director of leading, UK-based world food specialists, Surya Foods. He continues to use his influence in the sector to promote best practice around food waste and promote simple mechanisms for large food producers to donate stock to redistribution centres. The charity runs a retail shop in Clacton with all proceeds raised directed exclusively to ‘eliminating hunger locally’. As FTG’s affilated charity, the group continues to channel many important projects through WFA. Through the charity it has run several high profile ‘Rice for Life’ campaigns, on Laila packs, in aid of the British Red Cross and The Trussell Trust. It also has an ongoing relationship with Fareshare, providing regular food donations as well as supporting its campaigns, like ‘Hunger Holidays’ – which helps feed hungry children during the school holidays.
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Locally
the charity works in partnership with schools and church groups, providing grants and food parcels.
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Nationally
it works in partnership with like minded charities, providing grants and food parcels.
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Internationally
the charity helps respond to disasters, via the Disasters Aid Committee, to provide emergency food parcels.
Community Impact Stories
Featured stories
Rice for Life in association with NHS Blood & Transplant (fourth campaign)
In December 2018 Laila launched a major, on pack campaign with NHS Blood and Transplant to highlight the critical shortage of blood donors from black, Asian, minority ethnic (BAME) and mixed race communities. The campaign, backed by celebrity chefs Ching-he-Huang and Cyrus Todiwala, was hailed a huge success by NHS Blood & Transplant, who reported the highest BAME New Donors Registering & Donating in the last three years during the months the campaign ran. It also helped raise awareness with significant media pick up. The campaign video attracted over 40k views via NHS social media platforms. To take a look at the campaign video click here.
'Rice for Life' campaigns
Laila regularly runs 'Rice for Life' campaigns – each aimed at saving lives. Previous campaigns have included raising money for the British Red Cross' flood relief efforts in Pakistan; providing seeds and fertiliser to help families re-establish independence and covering the cost of vital medical supplies to prevent easily treatable diseases from needlessly claiming lives. Meanwhile, Rice for Life 2014 marked a truly ambitious project and saw Laila donate one million servings of rice to the poor and hungry via UK food banks (Trussel Trust) and NGOs in India.
'Rice for Life' campaigns
Laila regularly runs 'Rice for Life' campaigns – each aimed at saving lives. Previous campaigns have included raising money for the British Red Cross' flood relief efforts in Pakistan; providing seeds and fertiliser to help families re-establish independence and covering the cost of vital medical supplies to prevent easily treatable diseases from needlessly claiming lives. Meanwhile, Rice for Life 2014 marked a truly ambitious project and saw Laila donate one million servings of rice to the poor and hungry via UK food banks (Trussel Trust) and NGOs in India.
'Rice for Life' campaigns
Laila regularly runs 'Rice for Life' campaigns – each aimed at saving lives. Previous campaigns have included raising money for the British Red Cross' flood relief efforts in Pakistan; providing seeds and fertiliser to help families re-establish independence and covering the cost of vital medical supplies to prevent easily treatable diseases from needlessly claiming lives. Meanwhile, Rice for Life 2014 marked a truly ambitious project and saw Laila donate one million servings of rice to the poor and hungry via UK food banks (Trussel Trust) and NGOs in India.
'Rice for Life' campaigns
Laila regularly runs 'Rice for Life' campaigns – each aimed at saving lives. Previous campaigns have included raising money for the British Red Cross' flood relief efforts in Pakistan; providing seeds and fertiliser to help families re-establish independence and covering the cost of vital medical supplies to prevent easily treatable diseases from needlessly claiming lives. Meanwhile, Rice for Life 2014 marked a truly ambitious project and saw Laila donate one million servings of rice to the poor and hungry via UK food banks (Trussel Trust) and NGOs in India.
'Rice for Life' campaigns
Laila regularly runs 'Rice for Life' campaigns – each aimed at saving lives. Previous campaigns have included raising money for the British Red Cross' flood relief efforts in Pakistan; providing seeds and fertiliser to help families re-establish independence and covering the cost of vital medical supplies to prevent easily treatable diseases from needlessly claiming lives. Meanwhile, Rice for Life 2014 marked a truly ambitious project and saw Laila donate one million servings of rice to the poor and hungry via UK food banks (Trussel Trust) and NGOs in India.