Food Redistribution is Prevention in Action
No 10’s proposed national endeavour to end avoidable food waste, aligned to the Circular Economy agenda, is a significant moment for the sector. Framed around growth, resource efficiency and net zero, it signals that food waste is now recognised as a systems issue.
But if this is to be a genuine national endeavour, redistribution must be understood in the round.
From where we stand, redistribution does quite a lot more than save food.
At The Bread and Butter Thing, we support over 100,000 households each week through community food clubs operating from Maidstone to Northumberland. Members collect a regular food shop through the club, then top up in local retailers to complete their weekly shop. We are not replacing supermarkets. We work alongside them, helping stretch budgets so households can continue spending locally.
Because members engage regularly, we see how surplus food interacts with real lives shaped by rising costs, fragile finances and health pressures.
Nearly two thirds of members strongly agree that accessing redistributed food through our food club helps them save money.
That saving is not incidental. Members who report it are significantly more likely to manage small unexpected expenses without borrowing. Around 75 percent say they could manage a £20 unexpected cost. Only around 33 percent could manage £100. That gap is where many working families now live.
The health link is equally stark. Among households with almost nothing left after housing and energy costs, around half report poor mental health and nearly half report poor physical health. As financial headroom increases, those rates fall steadily. Close to four in ten members strongly agree they eat more fruit and vegetables as a result of using Bread and Butter food clubs.
For No 10’s national endeavour, that should matter. Tackling food waste is not only about emissions and landfill. It is about how supply chain decisions affect everyday stability and health.
There is widespread acknowledgement that ending avoidable food waste makes environmental and economic sense. While surplus exists, how it is handled is a live policy choice. Edible food can be diverted into lower value routes because that is operationally simpler. Or it can be redirected into communities first, in line with the food waste hierarchy.
Stronger transparency, clearer data standards and consistent accountability would help level the playing field across industry. Not as bureaucracy, but as a practical way to ensure edible food feeds people wherever possible and that waste across the supply chain is minimised.
Redistribution is not a substitute for income reform and it should not normalise structural food insecurity. And remembering that it is much more than a sticking plaster allows us to make true preventative impact.
In a high cost environment, prevention often looks like small, consistent reductions in pressure rather than dramatic interventions.
If the ambition from No 10 is truly cross sector and prevention first, redistribution must be recognised as part of that architecture. It supports environmental goals. It improves system efficiency. And it strengthens household resilience while continuing to support local retail spend.
The impact is not just measured in tonnes diverted. It is measured in reduced anxiety, improved diet and families who remain steady rather than tipping into crisis.