Gleaning Cornwall donates £1 million of rescued produce to food banks

A volunteer‑run group in Cornwall has rescued fruit and vegetables worth about £1 million that would otherwise have been left to rot in fields, and has handed the produce to food banks across the South West.

The organisation, known as Gleaning Cornwall, sends volunteers into recently harvested farms to collect surplus crops. Those items are then distributed to roughly 160 food banks, community larders and kitchens throughout the region.

Since its launch in 2020, the charity says it has repurposed more than 460 tonnes of food. The effort now reaches a seven‑figure value, but the group warns that funding shortfalls could jeopardise its operations.

“There is less money around and we need to do more with it,” said founder Holly Whitelaw. “Our infrastructure urgently needs funding if we are to keep going.”

Gleaning Cornwall provides free produce to recipients and currently feeds about 11,000 people each week. However, the cost of transporting, storing and coordinating the donations has risen sharply.

The need for food assistance is growing. Cornwall Council reports that the number of locations offering food aid has jumped from 20 in 2015 to 180 today. Data from the Trussell Trust shows that its Cornwall food banks handed out more than 35,500 emergency parcels between April 2024 and March 2025. A council study also found that 30 percent of children in the county are living in food poverty.

Whitelaw urged the public to cut waste at home, noting, “If we waste food, we waste the substantial energy that went into producing it. Using what we already have saves money and helps the environment.”