London, 6 February, 2018:   In the first-ever partnership of its kind for relief and development organisation Muslim Aid, the charity has teamed up with food company Natco Foods Ltd.  Natco will run a special promotion to raise funds for the charity.  The special promotion will be on Natco Red Lentils and means 100% of the sales of Natco Red Lentils made to the independent retail sector – shops, restaurants and all other commercial outlets – in the three London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge in February and March will be donated to Muslim Aid’s Rohingya Crisis Appeal.

The promotion applies to all Natco Red Lentils packs carrying the green Muslim Aid sticker which says “100% of Sales Donated to the Rohingya Crisis Appeal”.  The promotion will be on three pack sizes of Natco Red Lentils, including the 2kg packs for which the recommended retail price is £2.39.

“Natco Foods distributes 100% of its profits to charity and we are pleased to be partnering with Muslim Aid on this project.”, says Luke Pagarani, Managing Director of Natco Foods Ltd.

Natco, which is a popular UK brand for spices and herbs, nuts, poppadoms, lentils, gram flour, grains, chutneys, seeds and more, has been selling its products and partnering with charities for 50 years.  As well as supplying the catering industry, independent shops and supermarkets like Asda, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose, it sells its products around the globe.

“We are delighted that such a prestigious and well known company like Natco has chosen to support the very important work of Muslim Aid with displaced people in Myanmar and those who have fled the violence to neighbouring Bangladesh,” says Zac Hussain, Muslim Aid’s Director of Business Development, who visited Myanmar earlier in the year and was distressed by the appalling conditions in which people were living.  “We are hoping that buyers in the three boroughs – Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge – will respond well to Natco’s promotion and also do their bit by stocking up on a product that has a long shelf life of 24 months.”

“Natco has been serving the UK’s growing love for speciality foods since 1961 and are trusted by homes all across the UK and beyond.  It is an honour for Muslim Aid to be allied with a company that, as well as producing quality products, has such an ethical stance.  We hope this will be the beginning of a longer relationship.”

Natco will be advertising at bus shelters throughout Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge and Muslim Aid will encourage take-up of the promotion with a social media campaign and leafletting outside mosques and in the streets of Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge.

Natco source their ingredients from all over the world, and make their products in their award-winning purpose-built processing hub in the heart of the Buckingham countryside.

For more information, please contact Eileen Maybin at eileen.maybin@muslimaid.org or on 07769 689438.