England will grant subsidies starting at £20,000 to help get surplus agricultural food to those who need it, avoiding food waste.
Thousands of tons of fresh produce from farms that would otherwise go to waste will be delivered to those most in need in England, thanks to a new £15 million government fund.
The government estimates that every year around 330,000 tons of edible food is wasted or reused as animal feed before it leaves farms.
“Although farmers would prefer this food to be put on people’s plates, charities that redistribute food often lack the means to collect it from farms and get it to those who need it,” reads a statement from the Ministry for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
To combat this food waste, grants starting at £20,000 will be given to the non-profit food redistribution sector to repackage food that would otherwise go to waste and deliver it to homeless shelters, food banks and charities.
The government program, due to be launched this year, will allow successful applicants to buy new equipment to collect and process bulky food, install technology to help farms and charities work together or train staff in IT and food safety.
According to The Guardian, “the commitment was first made by Michael Gove in 2018 and again by Rishi Sunak in 2024, but was never implemented despite years of campaigning by charities.” At the end of December 2024, Labour ministers finally announced the creation of the fund.
The announcement follows an open letter published in the autumn, in which hundreds of charities called on the Labor government to revive the plan and allocate the funds in its budget.
“No one wants good food to go to waste – especially farmers who work hard to put food on the tables of families across the country. Our new fund will help the charitable sector work more closely with farmers, helping them find new opportunities to get their world-class produce to those most in need in our communities,” said Mary Creagh, Minister for the Circular Economy, in a statement.
In a joint statement, the chief executives of two food redistribution charities, Charlotte Hill of the Felix Project and Kris Gibbon-Walsh of FareShare, said they were “delighted to see this fund come to fruition” and looked forward to “acting quickly with government, the charity sector and farmers to maximize the impact of this initiative during the British growing season”.
For Harriet Lamb, executive director of global environmental NGO WRAP, “this is welcome support for farmers and redistribution organizations, which ensures that more quality food is rescued and can support more people and communities, while reducing the environmental impact of food waste on climate change”.
“Every year, the amount of surplus food that is redistributed increases, but unfortunately, so does the need, so this measure is a much-needed boost. Last year, 191,000 tons of food from UK retailers, food manufacturers, the hospitality sector and farms – worth 764 million pounds – was redistributed, with the potential to produce 450 million meals,” adds Lamb.
Information on the opening date of the fund and the full eligibility criteria for applications have yet to be confirmed.
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This article deals with an action that actively contributes to the eradicate hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. This SDG also aims to ensure that all people have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round.
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