Charities, food banks and homeless shelters are to receive access to a £15m fund from the government to help use surplus farm food.
Set to be launched in 2025 the scheme will give grants of £20,000 or more to the not-for-profit food redistribution sector in England.
It continues a pledge by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s predecessor Rishi Sunak to launch a food waste prevention fund.
The government estimates around 330,000 tonnes of edible food a year are wasted or used for animal feed.
The scheme aims to help those groups secure new equipment – like hoppers and balers – or to train staff and set up new technology so they can get food that would be wasted to those who need it most.
Labour’s Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “With families gathering to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, it’s important to remember those in our communities who may be going hungry this festive period.
“Nobody wants to see good food go to waste – especially farmers who work hard to put food on family tables across the country.”
The heads of two food redistribution charities said they were “thrilled” the fund had come to fruition after years of campaigning and were eager to act quickly to maximise its impact during the British growing season.
Charlotte Hill and Kris Gibbon-Walsh, chief executives of charities The Felix Project and FareShare, said they were “thrilled” that the fund had been announced after years of campaigning.
