The government has invited food redistribution organisations to apply for the first £5 million round of funding under a multi-million pound pilot scheme to reduce food waste.
Redistribution organisations in England will be able to bid into a £5 million pot to help them overcome the financial barrier to redistributing surplus food which is currently going to waste but which could be redistributed.
It’s the first part of a £15 million scheme announced last year by the Environment Secretary to specifically address surplus food from retail and manufacturing.
Further opportunities are being developed and will open later this year.
Currently around 43,000 tonnes of surplus food is redistributed from retailers and food manufacturers every year. It is estimated a further 100,000 tonnes of food – equating to 250 million meals a year – is edible and readily available but goes uneaten. Instead, this food is currently sent away for generating energy from waste, anaerobic digestion, or animal feed.
Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said: “It is absolutely right that we end the scandal of food waste and this substantial funding will help that happen.
“We want to build on the great work already being done by businesses, charities and volunteers. Perfectly good food should be on people’s plates and not unnecessarily discarded.”
The fund is open to organisations that receive surplus food to distribute to those who have a need in England. Applicants will need to show how they will help food businesses reduce their surplus in the long term.
The new scheme follows government’s £500,000 Food Waste Reduction Fund to support the substantial reduction of food waste throughout England.
The government has also recently appointed philanthropist Ben Elliot as Food Surplus and Waste Champion to help promote awareness of the issue and help drive down food waste from all sources. The appointment is key commitment in the government’s recently-published Resources and Waste Strategy.