15/05/2026
A new chapter for gleaning! 🌱
Since 2012, gleaning has grown from a small Foodrise-led initiative into a thriving, community-driven movement helping good food reach people instead of going to waste.
The Gleaning Network revived the ancient practice where volunteers harvest surplus crops left in fields and redirect them to community food and food aid organisations.
One of those early volunteers was Ren, now Foodrise’s Gleaning Network Project manager, who has spent the last year supporting six incredible gleaning groups across England through the Defra-funded ‘Ready, Steady, Glean’ project.
The impact has been huge:
🥕 80.2 tonnes of surplus produce rescued
🍽️ Over 1 MILLION portions of food provided
💷 £95,267 worth of produce redistributed
🌍 53,752kg of greenhouse gas emissions prevented
This food has reached social supermarkets, school kitchens, community meals and local food projects, as well as being shared among volunteers.
A huge shoutout to the six groups who rose to the challenge: Still Good Food (Suffolk), Avon Gleaning, Khepera (Buckinghamshire), Sussex Surplus, Alchemic Kitchen (Merseyside) and Deal With It (Kent).
We’ve always been clear that gleaning is not a solution to poverty. It should not replace a fair food system where farmers are paid properly, and everyone can access nutritious food.
But gleaning is a powerful way to bring people together, spark conversations, raise awareness, and offer a meaningful way for people to take action around farm-level surplus.
While this chapter of the Gleaning Network is closing, the future of gleaning is firmly in the hands of groups and communities across the UK who are stronger than ever.
Find out more: https://foodrise.org.uk/a-new-chapter-for-gleaning
