Food rescue partnership aims to feed the vulnerable and reduce waste across Hampshire

This month sees the launch of a new partnership aimed at reducing food waste and distributing surplus produce to where it’s most needed across Hampshire

The partnership, between Hampshire County Council, VIVID and food rescue charity UKHarvest, will mean Hampshire can now also benefit from a scheme which has already seen success in West Sussex.

Funded by grants from Hampshire County Council’s share of the UK Government’s Household Support Fund and VIVID, the partnership will see UKHarvest collecting surplus food from a variety of places including farms, retail distribution centres, food suppliers and events. Food will be sorted and delivered at no cost to a range of locations including food banks, community pantries, homeless projects, Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) schemes, and other organisations supporting those who are struggling with food insecurity. 

Initially, food will be redistributed in Havant, Waterlooville, Hayling Island, Petersfield and Fareham, with plans to extend this to the whole of Hampshire. The partners will work together to build the initial year-long project into a sustainable and ongoing venture, building a network of suppliers of surplus food across Hampshire and recipients as well as exploring future funding opportunities.

Hampshire County Council’s Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Edward Heron, welcomed the partnership, saying: “I am pleased to support this initiative to develop county-wide food surplus collection and its redistribution completely free to projects providing food where it’s most needed. This is a commonsense solution to the twin problems of food waste and food insecurity, and I’d like to encourage Hampshire businesses that have surplus food to get in touch with the project.”

Yvonne Thomson, UKHarvest CEO added: “This new partnership provides an invaluable opportunity to elevate our impact across Hampshire, extending our reach to the most vulnerable communities in the south of England. Through this collaboration, we will significantly increase our operation across the county, making a real difference to local families and individuals most in need.”

Derek Streek, VIVID’s Head of Communities, Standards and Partnerships, commented: “We are delighted to be able to support UKHarvest and the work they do with the local communities. And be able to play a part in helping customers gain access to fresh fruit and vegetables and invaluable advice on staying healthy. We are dedicated in supporting our customers to live in healthy environments and have access to initiatives within their communities to work towards reducing health inequalities including food and fuel poverty.”

(Left to Right). Flo Fearon and Susan Parish of Munch Pantry, Park Community School receiving food from Jonathon Cox, Operations Support at UKHarvest as part of the charity’s expansion in Hampshire funded by Hampshire County Council’s connect4communities and VIVID.