The Felix Project has called on the government to help double the amount of food redistribution to people in need by adding it to the new Sustainable Farming Incentive proposal.
In a study commissioned by the charity and carried out by Argon & Co, it was found between 180,000 and 270,000 tonnes of farm surplus could be feasibly redistributed to people.
Currently most of this is either ploughed back into the soil, sent to anaerobic digestion or used as animal food.
In total around two-thirds of harvested produce that has been picked but deemed “out of specification” – and so cannot be sold – could be rescued or redistributed.
This is equivalent to 120,000 and 180,000 tonnes of produce, or between 285 million and 428 million meals.
In 2023, according to WRAP, only 4% of food waste (8,000 tonnes) was from farms.
The research has been carried out to support a policy proposal from the charity for the government to introduce a new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) focused on food redistribution.
The SFI would reward farmers for donating their harvested, yet out-of-spec, fresh produce for human consumption.
Argon’s research found that for an investment of between £10m and £23m, £90m worth of food could be generated.
“We know how much effort and resources farmers put into growing food, yet vast quantities of nutritious fruit and vegetables go to waste every year, while millions of people across the country face food insecurity and food bank usage is at record highs,” said Charlotte Hill, CEO of The Felix Project.
“We believe introducing an incentive that rewards farmers for giving surplus produce to charities like The Felix Project is a real opportunity to deliver on economic, environmental and health and social priorities.”
The policy has been launched at Groundswell Festival and has support from organisations across the sector including FareShare.
“The demand for food support remains very high, and our network urgently needs more fresh, nutritious food to meet it,” said Kris Gibbon-Walsh, CEO of FareShare.
“Through a redesigned Sustainable Farming Incentive, the UK government has an opportunity to recognise surplus food redistribution as a public good and get more British-grown produce to people who need it. This is a practical, deliverable policy, and we’re ready to work with government, farmers and partners like The Felix Project to make it happen.”
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