The scheme helps redistribute unsold good-to-eat surplus food from farms to people who need it the most, rather than it going to waste. The scheme was set up by FareShare in 2019 with a one-off grant Government grant of £1.9m.
Charity awards judge Ruth Davison said: “There is a really strong triple bottom line here; they’re saving food waste, they’re supporting local charities and they’re influencing corporate behaviour. So that felt like three sets of impact out of one initiative.”
In 2021-22 FareShare redistributed nearly 130 million meals, which is the equivalent of four meals every second.
Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of FareShare, added: “It is testament to everyone at FareShare and the businesses who work with us through the scheme. Given the choice, we know that farmers and growers would much rather get their unsold surplus food to people, rather than see it go to waste.
“But there’s still more than two million tonnes of edible produce thrown away in the UK each year. And that’s happening at a time when the cost of living crisis is meaning more families than ever before are struggling to get enough to eat. Despite the obvious need, the Government isn’t currently funding food redistribution in the UK. If it did, we could get so much more of that unsold nutritious food to people who need it most.”