A brief history of the Gleaning Network
Gleaning is as old as agriculture. In modern times, between 2012-2020, Foodrise (formerly known as Feedback) ran the Gleaning Network across five regions in England: Sussex, Kent, the North West, East England (Cambs, Lincs, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk) and West England (Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire).
In 2019, Foodrise recognised that community groups across the UK we better placed to understand the issues and needs of their local community, and so adapted the network model to begin training and funding a wide range of autonomous community groups, whilst connecting with and supporting already existing hubs. By 2021, the Gleaning Network had become a distributed network of independent gleaning hub with Foodrise stepping away from being at the centre and continuing to provide the Toolkit, resources and advice to support any new or existing group.
In 2025, Foodrise was awarded a grant by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to deliver a gleaning consortium project with 6 delivery partners in the Gleaning Network to increase the amount of surplus food being redirected at farm level.
Gleaning isn’t just happening in the UK. More information about gleaning across the EU can be found here, and some of the rich history of gleaning in the USA can be found here.
Who are Foodrise?
Foodrise is a charity transforming the food system for climate, nature and justice. We take bold action to uncover the root causes of injustice in our food system and expose how corporate power exploits people and the planet — while building truly just and resilient alternatives from the ground-up.
We speak truth to power. We take risks. We act where and when others won’t.
From launching legal action and producing hard-hitting research to working directly with local communities, we drive systemic change across food and farming — powered by grassroots energy and backed by the facts.
We exist to say what others won’t, do what others don’t, and never settle for “it can’t be done”. Change is possible – and we are rising to make it happen.
We are based in the UK and the Netherlands.