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Government urged to cut food waste as £15m fund hangs in the balance

28-Oct-2024 - Last updated on 28-Oct-2024 at 12:09 GMT

Gibbon-Walsh: 'The Farm Gate Waste Fund is in limbo while we wait for the Treasury to commit to this funding. But the frontline charities we support cannot afford to wait.' Image: Getty / bymuratdeniz

Food redistribution charities have urged UK Government to commit to stopping food waste as the fate of a £15m fund from the previous government remains up in the air.

More than 1,000 UK charities, penned by FareShare and backed by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge, have signed an open letter calling for the Chancellor to combat food waste by unfreezing the Farm Gate Waste Fund.

Announced by previous prime minister Rishi Sunak in February 2024, the £15m fund could cover the cost for farmers to harvest, pack, store and deliver surplus food to charities. This pledge was put on hold due to the election, with the fund now hanging in the balance ahead of the Autumn Budget on 30 October.

With 8 in 10 food charities expecting need for their services to continue to rise in the next year, the open letter urged for this much needed funding to be part of the next budget.

‘Government needs to intervene’

Michelin-starred chef and food poverty campaigner chef Tom Kerridge said: “These charities are the beating heart of their communities, and they need more feed to help support people in need. The Government needs to intervene and ensure that the staggering levels of good-to-eat food is turned into as meals for struggling families, rather than letting this food go to waste.”

Almost half (43%) of charities FareShare supports would likely have to close down without access to the potential food saved by the fund due to spiralling operational costs, according to the group’s 2023-24 Annual Impact survey.

Kris Gibbon-Walsh, chief executive of FareShare. said: “Despite the announcement in February, the Farm Gate Waste Fund is in limbo while we wait for the Treasury to commit to this funding. But the frontline charities we support cannot afford to wait.

“The Prime Minister has said he wants to build a ‘society of service’, and Defra want to prioritise a zero-waste economy – this fund is a great first step. We are ready to work with the Government alongside the food redistribution sector to make these ambitions a reality.”

UK Food waste

More than 3 million tonnes of good-to-eat food is wasted on UK farms every year, the equivalent of almost 7 billion meals. Meanwhile 11 million people in the UK, including 3 million children, are food insecure.

Felix project CEO Charlotte Hill OBE added: "It is a scandal to see food, grown on UK farms, going to waste, especially given the increasing number of people who are experiencing food insecurity.

“This funding has the potential to unlock huge supplies of healthy and nutritious produce, it could result in millions of meals going to those that need it. We are also ready to work with the government and hope they will honour the earlier commitment and demonstrate that they are serious about reducing food waste and helping those in poverty.”

Meanwhile, supermarket giant Asda has extended its partnership with surplus food marketplace Too Good to Go as part of its continuing efforts to reduce food waste and redistribute unsold produce.