Nearly 1,000 UK charities urge Treasury to back surplus food redistribution
Charities and community organisations up and down the UK have backed Felix’s campaign for tax incentives to support food redistribution.
The tax changes would help make redistribution the default
Published 27 October 2026
Over 900 charities have signed a joint letter from Felix calling on the Treasury to introduce corporation tax incentives to make it easier and cheaper for food businesses to redistribute surplus food, rather than letting it go to waste.
Felix is the UK’s leading food rescue charity, it rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and gets it to over 8,000 charities and community organisations across the UK, helping to feed over 1.5 million people.
The signatories, which include homeless shelters, pantries, community kitchens and breakfast clubs are all working hard in their communities to support those experiencing food insecurity. However, many are at capacity and with food prices rising by 38% since 2020 and 12% of UK households experiencing food insecurity, the demand is likely to continue to rise. At the same time over one billion meals worth of great-quality food goes to waste in the UK supply chain every year, that is enough to feed every child in the UK for a month.
While food redistribution is not a substitute for tackling the root causes of poverty, it is the right thing to do both environmentally and socially, especially when so much is going to waste and so many people are struggling to put food on their table.
Ahead of the budget, Felix and the signatories are calling for tax changes that reward businesses for redistributing surplus food, covering both the cost of the food and the cost of rescuing it. This would make redistribution the economically viable first choice for surplus food, ahead of animal feed, anaerobic digestion, or landfill.
Felix knows how much of a difference this can make. When the government’s Farm Gate scheme made donation cost-neutral for growers, more than 12,000 tonnes of fresh produce reached communities. When the funding ended, the amount of fresh produce Felix redistributed fell by 39%. While the short-term grants can unlock food, this long-term solution would help avoid peaks and troughs.
We know anyone involved in growing and producing food would much rather see any surplus food they have ending up on people’s plates, but sadly this is not always the most financially viable route. That is why it is so important the Treasury look at our proposal. We have already had so much incredible support from the government. In May, former PM Keir Starmer announced the National Programme to Redistribute Surplus Food, which aims to triple the amount of food redistributed in the UK over the next 10 years. As a sector we have come together to try to make this happen, but it is important the government makes changes to help us achieve our ambitions. I am delighted to see so many organisations supporting this ask which we all feel confident could unlock more food and help us all deliver greater impact to communities across the UK.
— Charlotte Hill, CEO of Felix