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Charities have welcomed the government’s pledge to put £15m towards delivering thousands of tonnes of food that might otherwise go to waste to those who need it most, an initiative expected to save as many as 60 million meals.

The funding, originally pledged by Rishi Sunak in February 2024, was temporarily delayed following the general election but was confirmed by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on Friday.

The announcement was welcomed by the Felix Project and FareShare – charities fighting food waste and hunger in the UK – who said the funding marks a step towards a zero-waste Britain.

Charlotte Hill, the Felix Project’s chief executive, said it is a “scandal to see food grown on UK farms going to waste, especially given the increasing number of people experiencing food insecurity”.

The funding announcement was welcomed by the Felix Project and FareShare (PA)

“This £15m funding has the potential to unlock huge supplies of healthy and nutritious produce and help the Felix Project deliver even more meals in 2025”, she added.

“The Felix Project found 1 in 8 working London families use a food bank every week to help feed their children. We deliver to around 1,200 community organisations, all working hard to feed people living with food insecurity, but the demand is so much more.

“We have a long waiting list of organisations desperately wanting food, but we do not have it to give.”

It comes amid a long term increase in the use of food banks in the UK, with the Trussell Trust, an anti-poverty charity that operates a network of food banks across the UK, reporting a 37 per cent increase in demand for food parcels between 2021/22 and 2022/23, and another 4 per cent increase between 2022/23 and 2023/24.

In a joint statement from Ms Hill and FareShare’s chief executive Kris Gibbon-Walsh, the two charities said: “After years of campaigning by food redistribution charities, we are thrilled to see this fund come to fruition.

“We are pleased that the government has recognised that too much food goes to waste on our farms, and that it should be redistributed to feed people who need it.”

They added: “We look forward to acting quickly with the government, the charity sector, and farmers to maximise the impact of this initiative during British growing season, ensuring surplus food reaches as many people as possible.

“We have a proven model which funds farmers to redistribute their unsold food, which means that together, we can take meaningful steps toward achieving a zero-waste Britain.”

Volunteers with The Felix Project have already rescued nearly 100 tonnes of fresh produce this year alone. The Independent has previously partnered with the charity as part of its Help the Hungry campaign.

The funding will allow the charity to expand their operations, ensuring surplus food reaches those in need, the organisation said.

Meanwhile, Defra estimates the initiative could save 27,000 tonnes of food annually — equivalent to 60 million meals.

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