With the shut down of its retail outlets due to the Covid-19 crisis, CalMac has decided to donate food that’s shortly going out of date to local food banks.

Staff from the west coast ferry operator are currently sifting stock and anything with a sell by date within three months will be donated.

The type of goods being handed over will include soft drinks, confectionary, crisps, cakes and biscuits.

CalMac has retail outlets on 14 of its larger vessels.

‘Given that we are not in position to determine when our on-board retail outlets will be open again, it makes sense to find a use for products that will be out of date soon, other wise they would just end up being thrown out,’ said CalMac’s Head of Sales, Kurt Hart.

‘It is better someone gets the benefit of theses products before they are past their sell by date.’

CalMac is currently identifying food banks up and down the west coast to start making donations.

So far donations have been made to Ardrossan, Greenock, Oban, Barra and Stornoway.