Food redistribution charities can now submit applications for a
new £15 million Government scheme, which is helping to ensure
surplus food is delivered to those who need it.
Every year, an estimated 330,000 tonnes of edible food is either
wasted or repurposed as animal feed before leaving farm gates.
This food should be going onto the nation's plates, but charities
often lack the resources to salvage it and provide it to the most
vulnerable.
The new Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate scheme will
strengthen links between farms and charities to help solve the
problem of food surplus on farms, with grants starting from
£20,000 to help organisations fight hunger in
communities.
From today (Friday 7 February), applicants can submit bids
outlining how they intend to form relationships with farmers to
access any surplus food, and how they would seek to increase
their capacity to redistribute this food to
communities.
The funding can go towards purchasing new packaging and labelling
equipment and vehicles to move goods from farms to a
redistribution organisation, as well as new equipment, like
fridges or freezers, to safely store food and ensure it lasts
longer.
The fund is open to food redistribution charities and any groups
with an interest are encouraged to apply.
Circular Economy Minister said:
Nobody wants to see good food go to waste – especially farmers
who work hard to put food on our nation's tables. This fund will
help charities work more closely with farmers to create new ways
to get fresh produce to the people who need it most.
I encourage our brilliant, dedicated redistribution charities and
non-profits to apply for this funding to ensure more British
fruit and veg gets to those who need it most.
In a joint statement, the CEOs of The Bread and Butter
Thing, City Harvest, FareShare, The Felix Project and Co-Chairs
of The Xcess Group said:
As leaders of the surplus food redistribution sector and
following years of campaigning, we are delighted to welcome the
launch of this fund ahead of British growing season.
It presents an opportunity to make a profound impact by
empowering local charities and community organisations. These
groups are the backbone of British society, and we are proud to
support them.
By working across the charitable redistribution sector, we can
help ensure that this scheme is implemented efficiently through
our joint capacity, delivers tangible value to taxpayers, and
helps millions of meals reach as many people as possible at a
time of considerable need.
Applications can be submitted online until 11:55am on 13 March
2025.
There is more to come as the Government moves to ensure the
throwaway society is ended for good.
A new Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising members from
industry, academia, and civil society across the UK, has been set
up. They will lead on the development of a Circular Economy
Strategy for England, which will outline how individual sectors
can contribute to ambitions in this area.
This is alongside continued support for the Courtauld Commitment
2030, managed by environmental NGO WRAP, which looks to deliver a
more sustainable supply chain and reduce food waste in the home –
tackling food waste and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
water usage.
