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How communities are bringing farm surplus to the community food sector

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.

Since Foodrise reintroduced gleaning to the UK in 2012, thousands of tonnes of fresh farm produce have so far been rescued from farms and redistributed to various charities, thanks to the efforts of thousands of volunteers. Edible food waste on farms continues to be a largely hidden issue and there are gleaning opportunities all across the country that our existing network have yet to tap into. Therefore, this toolkit resource has allowed the network expand into new regions and allow community groups to run their own gleaning activities to make sure that uneaten produce can reach local communities.

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.

Foodrise is not the only group championing gleaning, there are established groups across the UK and beyond. Check our map for information on groups gleaning in England and to find out more information about how to set up your own activities click here. 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.

Find out more about Foodrise on our website.

FAQs

What is gleaning?

Gleaning is an activity where volunteers connect with local farmers to harvest surplus fruits or vegetables that would otherwise not be sold or eaten for various reasons; from overproduction, to changes in supermarket orders, to arbitrary cosmetic standards. Community members volunteer their time to glean (harvest) the surplus produce, which can then be redistributed to various projects and organisations in the region. Read our one page document on Common Causes of Farm Level Food Waste here.

What is community-led gleaning?

Community-led gleaning is a project being run by Foodrise (formerly known as Feedback) since 2019, on the back of our own gleaning activities that were started in Kent, Sussex, Bristol and the North West. Foodrise supported community groups to start their own hubs so that it can become a UK-wide community practice. Foodrise’s current aim with the Gleaning Network is to truly turn it into a ‘network’ of community groups, farmers and beneficiaries who can all benefit from the practices of gleaning.

I am a farmer with surplus produce, how do I invite gleaners onto my farm?

If you are a farmer and have (or expect to have) surplus, please either check the gleaning map to contact local groups in your area, or contact phil@foodrise.org.uk at who will point you to local gleaners.

Does my group need to be a formally-structured ‘organisation’ such as a registered charity?

In short, no. We are interested in working with groups, organisations, projects and enterprises of all shapes and sizes. The formal/legal structure of your group is at this point less important than your enthusiasm!

However, organisations with a recognised legal structure (such as charities, community interest companies, cooperatives, etc) may find it easier to make progress in some regards. For example, we recommend that all gleaning groups hold an insurance policy; also, many fundraising opportunities are not available to individuals or unincorporated groups.

Can gleaning projects be set-up in any location?

Gleaning can take place in any region where fruits or vegetables are grown on a commercial scale. Therefore this is the first consideration, or point of research, for any group interested in gleaning. How many orchards, fruit farms or vegetable growers are there within reasonable travel distance? What kinds of fruits and vegetables are being grown? What is the seasonality (harvest time) for those crops?

There is little to no commercial fruit and veg farming in my region – how can I still get involved in food rescue activities?

Although most of Foodrise’s expertise lies in gleaning from commercial farms, it is possible to lead urban harvesting in towns, cities and other urban areas. These include, but are not limited to, harvesting fruit from public parks and resident’s gardens (with permission), small scale gleaning from community growing projects and city farms, and collection and distribution from wholesale markets and farmers’ markets.

Is there already a gleaning group in my area?

Have a look at our map on the homepage to see if gleaning is happening in your region. If you want to run your own gleaning in that region, it is worth reaching out to existing groups to make sure you work with different farms.

Other than access to farms, what are the main considerations for setting up a gleaning group?

You will need a team of willing and motivated volunteers to help with harvesting the food. You will also need a plan for how you will distribute or use the food that you recover: often this means working with other charities and groups (for example, charities providing cooked meals), or larger redistribution organisations (e.g. FareShare) able to distribute the food through their network.

How much time is required to run a gleaning project? Is this expected to be done on a voluntary basis, or is there funding available for paid staff?

Ultimately it is up to you and your group to decide how much time to commit to gleaning – there is no right or wrong answer. It’s also worth noting that the ‘scale of opportunity’ will be different in each region (e.g. according to how many growers there are), and may also vary season-to season.

As with many community projects, it is very possible to run gleaning on a voluntary basis, especially if there are several people in your group working together. Some groups may prefer to seek funding to pay for a part-time gleaning coordinator: Foodrise do not have funding to provide grants for these currently, but we can offer support and advice to help you find and apply for funding.

Is gleaning a large-scale operation? Is my group too small to handle this?

Gleaning groups come in all shapes and sizes. Some operate at the larger end of the scale, and often harvest between 1 to 5 tonnes of fruits and vegetables (and sometimes more than 20 tonnes!). However, small is also beautiful – and “little and often” can be still be very impactful. One gleaning group in France makes weekly visits to a series of local farms, sometimes gleaning a few kilograms of salads. There is no one-size-fits all approach; each group operates according to their capacity.

Does my group need to own a vehicle – e.g. a car, van or truck?

Vehicles aren’t essential, but they can be useful for two reasons. Firstly, volunteers will need to travel to the farm; public transport is sometimes an option, but many farms are situated away from good transport routes. Therefore having one or more car-owners within your group or volunteer-pool will be helpful.

Secondly, you need to consider how the produce you glean will be transported from the farm to the organisation(s) who will use it. For smaller-scale gleans, it might be possible to move the produce using a van or a team of cars. For larger-scale gleans, there are organisations such as FareShare who can help with collecting and finding outlets for surplus produce.

The Gleaning Network is a Foodrise project