A bunch of red peppers

Surplus Food Redistribution

14 Mar 23

Redistribution is the process whereby surplus food that would otherwise have ended up as waste is, instead, made available for people to eat.

Although food waste prevention at source should be the key priority, food redistribution is an alternative if surplus food still arises. Companies, charities and individuals can all benefit from the redistribution of surplus food.

There are many organisations that will help match your surplus food with people or businesses in your community that can make use of it - read more about the different platforms.

We have developed a Food Redistribution Guidance Document in conjunction with Food Standards Scotland to tell you all you need to know about how to redistribute surplus food. From food safety considerations, to how to identify surplus food, this guide will lead you through the process.

Our work with WRAP has also led to the development of the Redistribution Framework which helps organisations increase volumes of food redistributed in the UK by:

  1. Providing a structured and efficient approach to the creation and operation of partnerships which enable successful food redistribution, taking into account the needs and ways of working of both the food surplus provider and a recipient organisation;
  2. Supporting more consistent exchange of key information; and
  3. Stimulating a more structured approach to the identification of surpluses suitable for redistribution.

The Redistribution Framework is intended to help individual providers and recipients to adopt or adapt their own processes and choices for handling surplus, to fit with existing ways of working, while making it easier for multiple organisations to work with each other.