Skip to content

How we work

No good food should go to waste

Every year, food wasted in the UK adds millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere 1.

In the midst of a climate crisis, and with record levels of food insecurity, it doesn’t make sense to be throwing away perfectly good food.

FareShare believes that with long-term ambition and quick, decisive action, the UK’s food system can become a driver of positive social and environmental impact.

This Manifesto sets out a path for government, businesses, and charities to contribute to that change through redistributing good-to-eat surplus food.

The case for action

It is estimated that 25% of all food in the UK is wasted,2 and that 4.6 million tonnes of this waste is edible food from the supply chain.3 Wasted food is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide: if it were a country it would be the third largest emitter behind the USA and China.4

Along with over 150 other countries at COP28, the UK has committed to including food systems in its climate action plans. We have also signed up to a target of halving food waste by 2030, in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet the UK currently redistributes a lower percentage of our total surplus than other similar countries.5

Meanwhile, 11 million people in the UK are facing food insecurity, including 3 million children,6 with charities struggling to keep up.

There is a clear social benefit – and an environmental and economic imperative – for us to address food waste and redirect good surplus to people who can use it.

FareShare’s Vision

This manifesto lays out measures to incentivise businesses to redistribute more of their surplus, proposals to support the redistribution sector and strengthen communities in the process, and a plan for a wider food system reset.

The proposals in this Manifesto were informed by international best practice and consultation with experts in the food industry, the redistribution sector, academia, and civil society. 

By adopting these measures, we could decrease food waste and increase the amount of good food going to communities by tens of thousands of tonnes per year. 

Investment in surplus food redistribution also pays back financially through the health and social impact of getting nutritious food to those who would otherwise struggle to access it. It supports the work of local organisations whose services strengthen communities and improve people’s lives in so many ways. 

Surplus food represents a massive environmental and social opportunity for the UK. By working together, government, the third sector, and industry can overcome the challenges to redistributing this surplus – and ensure more food reaches the people who need it.

Who We Are

FareShare is the largest food charity in the UK, specialising in food surplus logistics to the wider charity and community sector.

We save good quality surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and redistribute it to charities across the UK. By doing this, we turn an environmental problem into a social good.

FareShare’s food reaches over 8,000 local charities, which strengthen communities in every constituency in the UK. These charities range from schools, to gardening clubs, faith organisations, community centres, and everything in between. They provide a whole range of additional services that make a lasting difference, such as debt advice, mental health support, childcare, and education. 

This work is powered via our network of 34 warehouses, over 26,000 volunteers and our industry-leading food redistribution app FareShare Go.

Last year, we redistributed 57,000 tonnes of food – that’s four meals every second – helping to build stronger communities in all four corners of the UK.7 In turn that prevented the needless waste of over 106,000 tonnes of CO2e.8

Through over 8,000 charities and community groups, we reach nearly 1 million people, boosting their health and wellbeing in the process. 

FareShare’s Manifesto for fighting the injustice of food waste

A word from FareShare’s CEO

This year, the UK is set to see an astonishing 4.6 million tonnes of edible food go to waste – enough to feed everyone in the country three meals a day for almost two months.9 Our food waste accounts for 6-7% of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the emissions from food waste alone are four times that of the world’s entire aviation industry.10

At the same time one in six people in this country (15%) are facing food insecurity.11 One in four of the charities we work with tell us that they are not able to keep up with demand to support the people who use their services. They need more food.

Despite our environmental commitments under UN SDG 12.3 and the COP28 Emirates Declaration, the UK lags behind other countries in the percentage of our surplus food that we redistribute.12 But there is an opportunity to work together to transform the way we deal with this problem.

In this Manifesto, we’ve set out the means to do it – through a combination of simple measures that will encourage more businesses to redistribute their surplus food, empower communities to make use of it, and contribute to progressive policymaking in our food system.

To be clear, we do not see surplus food as the solution to poverty. We recognise and endorse the work of others such as the Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in their proposals for structural solutions to address poverty, which often drives people to the charity sector. We support measures to permanently improve the lives of people at risk of food insecurity and end the need for food banks once and for all.

While no one should be forced to rely on charitable food aid, we firmly believe in the positive power of the community sector for helping people, and the many wider benefits of bringing people together around food. We should build a future where people engage with charities by choice, not necessity.

Through supplying community groups who provide a wide range of services, we can achieve lasting benefits. Of the charities we supply food to, 90% provide wrap around services – addressing needs in education, isolation, homelessness, employability and a range of other social priorities. This strengthens communities and improves people’s lives, creating a profound ripple effect that starts with bringing people together around good quality food.

Whilst preventing food waste should always be the top priority, when surplus food cannot be prevented we must make every effort to get it to people. Not only have we seen the social impact that this has, but making good use of food that cannot be sold is an environmental necessity. By preventing this food from going to waste we also prevent vital resources – on average, two tonnes of CO2e and 2.66 million litres of water per tonne of food13 – from being used in vain.

We have achievable proposals that can improve lives and promote a more sustainable food system. These changes do not cost the earth. They are backed by experts across the sector – by businesses, charities and food redistribution organisations alike.

But we all need support from those with the power to act.

Our next government has that power. As a general election nears, political parties must grasp this challenge, and commit to the policies that will help close the gap between the UK’s surplus food and those who need it.

George Wright
FareShare CEO

At a glance

WHERE’S THE FOOD? Strengthening communities through surplus food Redistribution

Every year an estimated 4.6 million tonnes of edible food goes to waste in the UK, harming the environment while people could make good use of it.

The Government has acknowledged the problem and has taken some welcome steps towards tackling it. However much more is needed if we are to deal with the challenges of wasted food and enact lasting solutions.

The Government should encourage businesses to redirect their surplus to people and bring the UK’s food system in line with Government’s own guidance on food waste.14

We need to build on the success of the recently announced £15 million ‘Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate Fund’, by supporting those who are working to redistribute unpreventable surplus food to the people who need it most. This effort must be guided by a clear long-term vision.

There are three key areas where the government can make a difference.

1 Incentivise businesses to redistribute more surplus food

1.1 Pilot a surplus subsidy for farmers

Expand the budget for Environmental Land Management Schemes to allow surplus food redistribution to be classed as a ‘public good’ – removing a financial barrier that too often means farmers are unable to redistribute their surplus.

1.2 Restructure corporate tax regimes

Following the majority of G20 countries, recognise the social value of surplus food redistribution by allowing businesses to offset the cost of food donations and the associated logistics in a similar manner to how cash donations are treated.

1.3 Make food waste reporting mandatory

Implement plans to require medium and large businesses to report their food waste in a central database, with fines for non-compliance going to support surplus food redistribution charities.

1.4 Clarify legal protections for ‘Good Samaritans’

Develop clear guidance to support businesses that donate surplus food in good faith, so they can understand how to donate food in a safe way.

2 Strengthen communities by
supporting the redistribution sector

2.1 Provide grant support for surplus redistribution

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of £15 million for farm level redistribution, the government should invest £25 million per year in dedicated ring-fenced funding, to ensure food gets to the people who need it.

2.2 Harness technology to improve cross-sector collaboration

The government should collaborate with technology companies, redistribution organisations, and the food industry to develop a nationwide digital platform that facilitates cross-sector collaboration, reduces inefficiencies, and maximises the redistribution of surplus food.

2.3 Expand apprenticeships to improve skills

Introduce more flexibility to the Apprenticeship Levy, so it can be used helping to fill skills gaps in the food redistribution sector and wider food supply chain, and enable more people to get started in the workplace.

3 Make Surplus Food Part of a Wider Food System Reset

3.1 Develop a UK-wide plan to end the need for charitable food aid

Recognise that food banks and food aid are not a lasting solution to food insecurity or poverty, and work to develop a plan that would end the need for charitable food aid.

3.2 Deliver a comprehensive national food strategy

The government must provide vision, leadership, and consistency in food policy, recognising the importance of the food system to the UK’s climate goals and the key role of reducing waste and redistributing unavoidable surplus.

3.3 Set up a supply chain taskforce

Put in place a taskforce to review supply chain needs across the food sector, making it stronger and more resilient to shocks, while ensuring it is environmentally sustainable and delivers maximum social value.

3.4 Support local authorities and Metro Mayors

Provide funding, resources and guidance for local authorities and Metro Mayors, enabling them to integrate the national food strategy into local plans.

References

1

WWF (2022) Hidden Waste: The Scale and Impact of Food Waste in Primary Production. Available at: https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-05/Hidden-Waste-%20Report-2022-WWF-UK.pdf.

2

WRAP (2023) UK Food Waste & Food Surplus – Key Facts. Available at: https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/food-surplus-and-waste-uk-key-facts-updated-november-2023.

3

WWF (2022) Hidden Waste: The Scale and Impact of Food Waste in Primary Production. Available at: https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-05/Hidden-Waste-%20Report-2022-WWF-UK.pdf; WRAP (2023), UK Food Waste & Food Surplus – Key Facts. Available at: https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/food-surplus-and-waste-uk-key-facts-updated-november-2023

4

Ritchie, H. (2020) Our World in Data. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/food-waste-emissions.

5

Boston Consulting Group (2023). Comparison of percentage of surplus food volumes redistributed between the USA, France and Spain. Available at: http://fareshare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Boston-Consulting-Group-Surplus-Food-Volume-Comparison-Final-Slide.pdf

6

The Food Foundation (2024) Food Insecurity Tracking: Round 14. Available at: https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/food-insecurity-tracking#tabs/Round-14.

7

FareShare (2023) FareShare’s Impact 2022-2023: Strengthening communities through food. Available at: https://fareshare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FareShare-Impact-Report_Sep2023.pdf.

8

Estimated for 2023/24 based on Carbon Trust (2023) FareShare Footprint Methodology Report. Available at: https://fareshare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FareShare-Methodology-Report-2023-1.pdf.

9

WWF (2022) Hidden Waste: The Scale and Impact of Food Waste in Primary Production. Available at: https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-05/Hidden-Waste-%20Report-2022-WWF-UK.pdf; WRAP (2023), UK Food Waste & Food Surplus – Key Facts. Available at: https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/food-surplus-and-waste-uk-key-facts-updated-november-2023 ; Meal equivalents are estimated using 420g as standard meal size, which is the method recommended by WRAP based on FSA data.

10

Bergero, C. et al. (2023) ‘Pathways to net-zero emissions from aviation’, Nature Sustainability, 6, pp. 404-414. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-01046-9. ; Zhu, J. et al. (2023) ‘Cradle-to-grave emissions from food loss and waste represent half of total greenhouse gas emissions from food systems’, Nature Food, 4, pp. 247-256. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00710-3.

11

The Food Foundation (2024) Food Insecurity Tracking: Round 14. Available at: https://foodfoundation.org.uk/initiatives/food-insecurity-tracking#tabs/Round-14.

12

Boston Consulting Group (2023). Comparison of percentage of surplus food volumes redistributed between the USA, France and Spain. Available at: http://fareshare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Boston-Consulting-Group-Surplus-Food-Volume-Comparison-Final-Slide.pdf

13

Carbon Trust (2023), FareShare Footprint Methodology Report. Available at: https://fareshare.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/FareShare-Methodology-Report-2023-1.pdf

14

Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2024) Statutory guidance – Food and drink waste hierarchy: deal with surplus and waste. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/food-and- drink-waste-hierarchy-deal-with-surplus-and-waste/ food-and-drink-waste-hierarchy-deal-with-surplus-and- waste#guidance-on-applying-the-waste-hierarchy.

Awards Shortlistings

Campaign Team of the Year
Best Environmental Purpose Campaign and Public Affairs
Communications Campaign of The Year
Back to top