ALS ice bucket challenge: Tesco donates all profits from ice sales and nominates rival supermarkets to do the same

The chain has donated £20,000 to the Motor Neurone Disease Association

Justin Timberlake gets his friends involved in the ice bucket challenge

Tesco is donating all of its profits from sales of ice cubes and is nominating it competitors to do the same in the wake of the ALS ice bucket challenge.

The retail giant sold more than 36 million individual ice cubes over the past week as the fundraising phenomenon continues to grip the UK.

Tesco has donated £20,000 so far to the Motor Neurone Disease Association after the surge in ice cube sales. It is now calling on rivals Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons to do the same.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the American name for the condition usually referred to as motor neurone disease (MND) in the UK.

ALS affects the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons degenerate and die which makes it increasingly difficult to move muscles. There is currently no cure.

Their decision to donate money comes after the Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael called on supermarkets to donate profits created by the ice bucket trend.

After taking part in his own ice bucket challenge, he said: "Ice is not usually in short supply across the Northern Isles but the ice bucket challenge has seen something of a run on bags of ice in Orkney and Shetland recently.

"I think that it is right that those profiting from these extra sales should give something back. I nominate the major supermarket chains to get involved and back this campaign."

Tesco community director Greg Sage said the chain has seen a big increase in sales of ice as a “direct result of the ice bucket phenomenon.

“We want the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association to be the ones to benefit,” he said.

“That's why today we've pledged to donate the extra profits we make to them, and we nominate Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons to do the same."