Managing surplus food and other resources locally

The term “food redistribution” refers to food that in the past may have been put into the waste stream, but is now recovered and used (donated or sold) within communities.  Such food is still safe to eat even though it may, on some occasions, be close to its “use by date”.   In recent years food banks, larders and other community projects have developed food provision services (supply chains) to ensure that surplus food is redistributed rather than being wasted and sent for disposal.  In the Scottish Government’s food waste reduction plan redistribution is one of the most preferred options, as shown in the figure below.

If you are considering the potential for setting up a project to take surplus food for composting e.g. from hotel and restaurant canteens, you should consider first if there are opportunities for making this food available to people within the community.  An increasingly common approach is the community fridge or larder model.  The community as a whole distributes and uses the food, preventing the stigma that some people feel accepting surplus food from food banks.

Zero Waste Scotland’s Love Food Hate Waste website has support and tips on how to make the most of food with lots of ideas on storage to make it last, along with lots of delicious recipes.  The website also explains why this matters, with information on cost savings and benefits to the environment. 

Support is also available for businesses, to help identify ways of reducing waste, for example, in hotel and restaurant kitchens,

The charity CFINE operates FareShare Grampian, Highlands and Islands and redistributes good quality, in-date surplus food from the food industry that would otherwise go to waste. The organisation passes this on to Community Food Members, consisting of other charities and community organisations, who then provide food to people in the local community. The idea is to reduce food waste and make the most of surplus food. CFINE has Community Food Members throughout Grampian and the Highlands & Islands and works closely with communities to maximise the amount of surplus food redistributed.  These members are in a number of communities within Lochaber, Skye, Caithness, Sutherland, Ross-shire and Inverness-shire.

It is establishing a new warehouse in the Highlands  (Alness) which will allow for increased levels of surplus food provision.  The aim is that by having a warehouse in this location the logistical challenges (distance, travel time) to remote communities will be reduced, with a more responsive service provided than is currently the case. 

An important element of local food growing projects

Local food growing projects can complement food redistribution efforts, creating and developing more local supply chains for food.  One of the challenges of food redistribution projects is that they do not always result in nutritious vegetables and/or fruit being made available, and this is where a local food growing project can meet this demand.  Highland Council has a Community Food Growing Strategy, known as “Growing Our Future”.  This strategy is described as seeking to improve the support, connectedness and access to information for growers across Highland.  It has the aim of improving access to land for community food growing, increasing support to community groups to set up projects on Council land, and improve guidance to schools for growing their own projects on school grounds.  The document and supporting guidance is available here.

Providing nutrients for community growing projects

When food waste cannot be avoided or redistributed to people in your community the hierarchy above shows what the preferred options are.  This may then lead to food waste becoming a part of your composting project where it can be used as an important feedstock for making compost – which in turn can be a nutrient-rich soil conditioner, supporting any local food growing project.

Compost can be expensive to buy in from wholesalers or retailers, so producing this locally from food and/or garden waste is a cost effective way of supporting community growing projects.