Grants to help charities deliver 19,000t of surplus food

More than 19,000t of surplus food will be redistributed to food banks, shelters and charities across England, thanks to £13.6m in Defra grants.

Twelve food redistribution organisations have secured funding through the government’s Plan for Change and Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate scheme.

The grants aim to divert edible produce directly from farms to communities, addressing both food poverty and food waste.

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The initiative will support charities in scaling up their operations by investing in new vehicles, cold storage facilities and volunteer training.

It is designed to strengthen links between farmers and redistribution groups, ensuring good food is not left to rot in fields due to cosmetic standards or lack of collection infrastructure.

Waste minister Mary Creagh said: “This government’s Plan for Change is acting on food poverty and tackling Britain’s throwaway culture, ensuring more good food ends up on plates and not in bins.”

According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme, an environmental charity, some 330,000t of edible food is wasted or repurposed as animal feed each year before leaving farms.

Its chief executive Catherine David said: “These government grants will go a long way to supercharge more charitable networks to capture some of the estimated 330,000t of food that could be redistributed from UK farms every year – and use it for good – in communities around the country.”

Beneficiaries of the grant include a consortium led by FareShare UK, awarded over £9.2m. Devon-based Food in Community has secured £1.5m to work with local producers.

City Harvest charity

City Harvest, which delivers food to more than 130,000 people weekly, will receive more than £303,000, allowing the charity to expand its depot, fleet and volunteer team.

The charity hopes that the new grant will allow it to save 354t of surplus food.

Sarah Calcutt, chief executive of City Harvest, said: “This new funding will allow us to increase the amount of food we pick up directly from farms, reduce farm costs and increase further the amount of fresh food we can offer our customers.”

Research from City Harvest’s ‘People Value Report’ 2023 highlights that a third of food is wasted, and around 20% of the population needs support when it comes to food. 

Farmers will be able to request a free pick-up at cityharvest.org.uk.