Gov grants £13.6m To NonProfits To Turn Surplus Farm Produce Into Meals For Families

The government has offered £13.6 million in grants to 12 redistribution charities across England to collect and deliver surplus produce from farms to community kitchens, food banks and shelters.

The scheme is expected to redirect about 19,000 tonnes of edible food that might otherwise have been wasted, helping families facing food insecurity whilst strengthening links between farmers and local charities.

Funding will cover the costs of collection, storage and distribution, letting charities scale farm-gate pickups and reach more households.

City Harvest will receive more than £303,000 to expand weekly deliveries, a FareShare-led consortium has been awarded over £9.2 million to scale its network, and Food in Community in Devon will get more than £1.5 million to deepen local partnerships.

These awards aim to get fresh fruit and vegetables into community projects fast and reliably.

The scheme is part of the government’s Plan for Change and the Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate programme.

Officials say the funding will reduce waste at source and make better use of the food the UK already produces.

An independent Circular Economy Taskforce will next year publish roadmaps for sectors including agri-food, to help embed long-term, cross-sector solutions.

Waste Minister Mary Creagh said the funding will help “ensure more good food ends up on plates and not in bins,” and praised the charities’ work connecting farmers to communities.

Sarah Calcutt, CEO of City Harvest, welcomed the award, saying it will let her organisation increase farm pickups, cut farm costs and deliver more fresh food to people who need it. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/136-million-to-help-families-and-charities-reap-benefits-of-surplus-farm-produce?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Redistributing surplus farm produce tackles two problems at once.

Families get nutritious food, and the climate impact of wasted crops is reduced. The grants are a practical step toward a fairer, more circular food system and a stronger safety net for communities across England.