MORE than 16,000 meals have been donated to charity and £85,000 raised by Tesco stores in the Torridge and West Devon constituency.

Tesco has published an independent report which outlines how Tesco works in partnership with colleagues, suppliers and community organisations to create value in the South West.

The report, part of a wider programme of activity called Value in Your Town, sets out the role Tesco plays in serving communities up and down the UK.

The report estimated that within the South West in the 12 months measured, Tesco made an economic contribution of more than £2.3-billion, supported 48,358 full-time equivalent jobs and worked with approximately 400 local suppliers.

The report revealed that out of every £1 spent by Tesco customers, 73p goes back to farmers and suppliers from across the UK, 11p is paid to Tesco colleagues in wages and 3p is paid to the Government in tax to pay for public services like the NHS. Every £1 of direct economic activity at Tesco was also found to generate an additional £5.46 in value to the UK economy as a whole.

For those who are keen to understand the contribution Tesco had on their local economy, a new online tool will allow residents to do just that by entering their postcode. They will be given a precise breakdown of the supermarket’s contribution by individual parliamentary constituencies.

In the 12 months measured in the West Devon and Torridge constituency — made up of three Tesco stores in Tavistock, Bideford and Westward Ho! — 13,500 meals have been donated to charity, 3,000 meals have been donation to local charities through Tesco Food Collection, £85,000 was raised for local regeneration projects through Bags of Help, 395 jobs have been created and £16.5-million of overall economic contribution has been made.