The announcement was made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the National Farmers Union (NFU) Conference, as part of a commitment to improving food insecurity in the UK.
This follows years of campaigning from FareShare. Funding to help get food from farms to FareShare’s network will help support the 8,500 charities that FareShare provides food to across the UK.
George Wright, chief executive at FareShare said: “We are thrilled that after years of campaigning from FareShare and The Felix Project, the Government will be committing £15m towards food surplus redistribution, getting good-to-eat surplus food from our farms to people who need it instead of letting it go to waste. We are hugely grateful to our supporters, donors, partners and MPs, all of whom have played a part in securing this significant step forward.
"We know that farmers want their edible surplus produce to feed people. At a time when 13 million people in the UK are facing food insecurity, this funding has the potential to make an enormous difference to people and communities across the country. We look forward to learning more details and to working with the Government, farmers and the surplus food redistribution sector to put plans into place that will deliver a rapid and effective impact.”