Cornwall Gleaning Group Distributes £1m in Surplus Farm Produce to Food Banks
Gleaning Cornwall has salvaged 460 tonnes of crops for regional food banks since 2020, but warns rising costs threaten its operations.
At a glance
- Gleaning Cornwall has salvaged over 460 tonnes of surplus fruit and vegetables worth £1m from harvested fields since 2020.
- The charity feeds 11,000 people weekly across 160 South West locations without charging recipients for the food.
- Founder Holly Whitelaw warned that rising transport and storage costs threaten the group's infrastructure amid record food aid demand.
Gleaning Cornwall, a volunteer-led charity founded in 2020, has gathered and redirected £1m worth of surplus fruit and vegetables from harvested farm fields to regional food banks across the South West. The group announced it reached the financial milestone after repurposing more than 460 tonnes of produce that otherwise would have been left behind.
The organisation supplies fresh produce directly to 160 food banks, community kitchens, and larders, feeding an estimated 11,000 people each week under a strict mandate that all items remain free to recipients. However, leadership warned that escalating operational expenses—primarily for transportation, coordination, and storage—are putting intense pressure on its services.
Rising Demand and Operating Costs
Charity founder Holly Whitelaw warned that current economic constraints threaten the organisation's future. She stated that available funding has contracted while the need for food aid continues to grow, leaving the charity's underlying infrastructure in urgent need of financial support.
Demand for emergency nourishment has risen substantially throughout the county in recent years. Data from Cornwall Council shows that the number of operational food aid venues expanded from 20 in 2015 to 180. Furthermore, a local council investigation revealed that 30% of children in Cornwall are experiencing food poverty.
Figures from the Trussell Trust showed that its food banks across Cornwall provided more than 35,500 emergency parcels between April 2024 and March 2025. Alongside appealing for operational backing, Whitelaw urged the public to reduce domestic food waste, pointing out that throwing away edible items wastes both financial resources and the energy required to cultivate them.
Source: BBC Business.
Questions and answers
- What is Gleaning Cornwall?
- Gleaning Cornwall is a volunteer-led charity founded in 2020 that gathers unwanted crops left in harvested fields and redistributes them free of charge to food banks and community kitchens across the South West.
- How much food has the organisation rescued?
- Since 2020, Gleaning Cornwall has salvaged more than 460 tonnes of surplus produce valued at £1m, providing free food to roughly 11,000 people each week.
- Why is Gleaning Cornwall seeking additional funding?
- The organisation faces rising costs for transport, storage, and coordination, which founder Holly Whitelaw warns threatens its infrastructure at a time of growing regional food poverty.
