Join the fight against food poverty
We’ve been supporting local communities on the issues that matter most for over a century – it’s part of what we do. One particularly important issue many people are facing, especially in recent times, is food poverty.
Our support for FareShare
FareShare is the UK's biggest charity tackling food waste to support social good. The NFU Mutual Charitable Trust – which exists to promote and support charities working in agriculture, rural development and insurance – is proud to support FareShare’s fight against food poverty. Since 2021, the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust has donated a total of £500,000 to the charity.
The charity will be using their donation of £150,000 from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust in 2025 to support a two-year programme during 2026 and 2027 that will transport additional surplus food throughout the UK. More news on this programme will follow soon.
Graham Kelly, Head of Fundraising at FareShare, says: “We are so grateful to the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust for supporting us in this two-year programme. Every day, food from FareShare is redistributed to over 8,000 charities across the UK, including homelessness shelters, schools, refuges, lunch clubs and community kitchens. This food helps support millions of people who are experiencing food insecurity, at a time when a huge amount of edible food is wasted on UK farms every year.
The food we provide offers much more than meals, it helps to strengthen communities and enable local groups to provide services that change lives, at the same time as reducing waste. Thanks to the funding from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust, we can directly cover the cost of rescuing the equivalent of 2.04 million meals worth of edible surplus food, transporting it from farms to communities that need it most, including those in rural areas. Thank you for your generous support.”
How businesses across the food supply chain are donating their surplus for good
Farms and rural businesses throughout the UK are also doing their bit to help. They can participate through FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose scheme, which helps businesses to cover the extra costs of redistributing their unsold food to people who need it most.
The Surplus with Purpose scheme avoids thousands of tonnes of surplus fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products being wasted. Even cupboard items and chilled and frozen foods find a new home as part of the scheme.
One grower making the most of the opportunity presented by the scheme is Southern England Farms, based in Hayle, West Cornwall. The business works over 6,500 acres and is a key supplier to several major retailers in the UK, including a number of supermarkets, of Cornish-grown courgettes, cauliflower, broccoli, spring greens, sweetheart and savoy cabbage.
Co-owner Jane Richards (pictured), along with her 400 plus pickers, works with FareShare to ensure any excess vegetables never go to waste. Since 2019, they have donated 396 tonnes of excess produce to the charity.
Jane says: “No farmer ever wants to see their produce go to waste. But sometimes circumstances mean there is a surplus that will often go into the waste trailer or simply become compost.”
Jane adds: “The scheme with FareShare is a brilliant way of ensuring excess produce is redistributed to those who really need it. It is so very rewarding when we find out how many meals our surplus veg has gone on to make. It is great that NFU Mutual has embraced the scheme so wholeheartedly and supports their customers who wish to participate with ‘Surplus with Purpose’ too.”
Join over 500 other food businesses fight food poverty
Diverting your surplus food to frontline charities is easier than you think. Your business could be eligible for funding to help you reduce your food waste. FareShare’s ‘surplus with purpose’ fund contributes to the cost of harvest or transporting surplus food. What’s more, FareShare can help your business identify surplus food that could be redirected to charities.
To find out more about FareShare’s Surplus with Purpose scheme, and how you can participate, visit: fareshare.org.