Fruit and Veg Too Wonky for Your Supermarket Has Become £1m of Free Food in Cornwall

For several years, volunteers in Cornwall have been walking through fields that farmers have already harvested and picking up the fruit and vegetables left behind. Gleaning Cornwall says that rescued produce has now reached £1m in value, and all of it has been given away free to food banks, community larders and kitchens.²⁵

The £1m figure is the group’s own estimate of what the produce is worth. The group says it supports more than 11,000 people in need every week.¹

Demand is high. Cornwall Council figures show the number of food aid settings in the county rose from 20 to 180 since 2015. A council study found that 30% of Cornwall’s children live in food poverty, and the county’s Trussell Trust food banks handed out more than 35,500 emergency parcels between April 2024 and March 2025.⁴

What gleaning is

Gleaning means gathering crops left in a field after the main harvest. ITV News described the group’s haul as produce that would be uneconomic for farmers to harvest.³

A lot of food gets stuck at that stage. South West Farmer reports that about 15% of food waste happens on farms, often because farmers grow extra to meet supermarket standards for size, color and appearance.² A parsnip can be perfectly good to eat and still fail the audition.

“If we waste food, we waste the substantial energy that went into producing it.”

That was founder Holly Whitelaw, quoted by South West Farmer.²

Where the food goes

South West Farmer, and BBC reporting relayed by other outlets, say the group delivers to 160 food banks, community larders and kitchens.²⁴⁵ The group’s own website puts the number at around 150. That list also includes a refugee camp, homeless shelters and hospices across Cornwall and Devon.¹

There is one condition attached. The produce is donated free on the understanding that it stays free all the way to the person who eats it. Gleaning Cornwall was launched by Regenerative Food and Farming CIC, a community interest company, and it runs entirely on donations.¹

According to BBC reporting relayed by Archyde, the group has repurposed more than 460 tonnes of produce since it launched in 2020.⁴ The group credits the milestone to years of partnerships with local farmers and to its teams of volunteers.¹

The cost of moving free food

The vegetables are free. The trailers are not.

South West Farmer reports that the group spends around £3,500 a month on vehicles, trailers, storage and logistics. In return it delivers an estimated £16,000 worth of produce a month to communities at no cost to them.²

Those running costs have gone up sharply while overall funding has fallen. The group says its infrastructure urgently needs money if the work is to continue.⁴

Gleaning Cornwall is asking businesses, councils and individuals for financial support. It also wants more people to sign up as gleaners and collect the food the harvest left behind.²