Gleaning Network
Join us in the fields - it’s time to get your hands dirty!
Feedback’s Gleaning Network gives volunteers all over the country an opportunity to engage with the food system hands-on by rescuing fresh, surplus fruit and veg from farms where it would otherwise be wasted, and get it to good causes. In doing so we are bringing an age-old practice to avoid waste, gleaning, into the 21st century.
What's the problem?
Feedback’s research has found that farmers waste around 16% of their crop before it even leaves the field or barn – often due to factors beyond their control, such as produce not being the right shape or size for supermarket tastes, or inaccurate forecasting by retailers of how much produce they will buy, leaving farmers with excess crop on their hands. Read more about our research on supply chain food waste.
What's the solution?
Since 2012, Feedback’s Gleaning Network has worked with 60 farmers, 3,000 volunteers and numerous charities to rescue over 500 tonnes of fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted. In 2019, we decided the time was right to expand this network further, by training and supporting community groups across the country to run gleaning activities in their region. Our vision is for a sustainable future where food waste no longer exists; in the meantime, wherever and whenever a farmer has surplus produce, a well-trained local gleaning group can help ensure this food reaches good causes.
Our new Gleaning Network website contains a map to help farmers and volunteers find their nearest gleaning group, and a toolkit for use by existing and new gleaning groups.
We’re constantly exploring new ideas for how we can further expand, develop and strengthen The Gleaning Network, and how we can continue the fight against food waste. We’re always open to offers of support.
Latest updates in this campaign
Join us for some Pumpkin gleaning in Sussex on November 2! Crisp…
What can you do to make a difference?
Use our Gleaning Toolkit to guide you through setting up your own gleaning project.
Start nowAre you an eager volunteer with a pair of wellies, or a farmer with surplus produce? Find a local gleaning group via our Gleaning Network map.
Get involved nowDo you believe everyone should have access to nutritious, delicious food - without trashing our planet in the process? Sign up to our mailing list to get the latest on our campaigns.
Add your nameFeedback never accepts donations from corporate organisations. To achieve our goal of a food system that nourishes us and the planet, we need your help.
DONATE WHAT YOU CAN NOWAbout
Since we began gleaning in 2012, Feedback’s Gleaning Network has rescued over 520 tonnes of good quality fruit and vegetables from going to waste on farms around the UK and through the activity itself, has brought together thousands of local volunteers of all ages and walks of life.