“Since 2016, we have worked closely with The Bread and Butter Thing to help distribute our surplus food. This partnership allows us to not only reduce our food waste but support great causes at a local level. The team is incredibly flexible and works closely with our sites to ensure food is collected and distributed in a quick manner. ”

Ruth McDonald, Corporate Services Director, Morrisons
“Worldwide Fruit has always been determined to reduce its quantities of edible surplus that go to waste but we needed a redistribution partner that could work flexibly with the complex logistics of moving tonnes of fruit around the country.”

Andy Mitchell, Senior Technical Manager, Worldwide Fruit Ltd
“We choose to work with TBBT as a key redistribution partner for our edible surplus because its team is flexible, responsive and innovative in the way they approach surplus and they are able to take all kinds of product from ingredients through to finished goods. Cranswick has ambitious sustainability plans to have zero edible food waste by 2030 and TBBT are helping us to deliver that whilst ensuring our surplus helps support families who need it.”

Clare Burcham, Group Second Nature Coordinator, Cranswick

Got surplus? We will make it work.

Surplus happens. Short shelf life, spec issues, volumes that do not quite fit. It is part of the reality of food supply.

The challenge is not whether there is food. It is how to move it, quickly and properly, without creating more work.

That is where we come in.

At The Bread and Butter Thing, we work directly with farmers, manufacturers and retailers to take surplus food that is hard to shift and get it into communities at pace. We manage the full process, from collection through to distribution, so you are not left trying to stitch together a solution.

We keep it simple, we move quickly, and we make it work.

A partner that understands how your world actually works

We know surplus does not arrive neatly packaged. It comes with constraints, time pressure, operational realities, product that is not retail ready.

Our model is built around that.

Because we control the full chain, we can take food that others cannot. Short dated stock, mixed loads, product that needs sorting or repacking. We are set up to handle it. We do not need everything to be perfect to make it usable.

That flexibility is what unlocks volume. It is why food that might otherwise be written off ends up feeding families instead.

We move quickly because surplus does not wait

When you have product to move, speed matters.

We are used to working to tight windows and changing volumes. In many cases we can turn collections around same day or next day, and we will always be clear and responsive about what is possible.

You will not get layers of process or slow decision making. Just a team that understands the pressure at your end and gets on with it.

We manage the detail so you do not have to

A lot of redistribution falls down in the practicalities. Transport, returns, compliance, handling. That is the bit we take on.

We manage collections through a mix of our own fleet and trusted logistics partners, and we are experienced in handling the operational detail that comes with surplus. This includes asset returns, crate and pallet management, and coordinating flows that work for both sides.

We also handle labelling and repacking where needed, so product that is not retail ready can still be redistributed safely and properly.

Built to work with your products, including own label

We already work across retailer supply chains and are set up to handle own label product appropriately.

That means:

Clear routes that protect brand integrity
Controlled redistribution into communities, not secondary markets
Proper handling of labelling and product information

We understand the sensitivities around own label and manage it accordingly, so you can be confident your product is going to the right place, in the right way.

Real impact, at real scale

This is not a pilot or a one off initiative. It is a working system, operating week in, week out.

We support over 100,000 households through a national network of community food clubs, running 52 weeks a year. Last year alone, we redistributed the equivalent of 21.4 million meals, turning surplus into something genuinely useful for families under pressure.

For the people we work with, that means better access to food and more breathing space in stretched budgets. For suppliers, it means a credible, scalable route for surplus that delivers both environmental and social impact.

A partner that works in practice

What suppliers value most is that we make this easy to engage with.

We respond quickly. We are clear about what we can take. We work around operational realities. And we follow through.

It is not about big promises. It is about consistently getting the job done.

Colorful illustration of various grocery items including a pineapple, bananas, grapes, strawberries, carrots, green peppers, a pumpkin, orange juice, and packaged foods like soup, pasta, tomatoes, squash, and hoops cereal, arranged on a white plate.

Let us unlock more surplus together

There is too much good food going to waste, and too many families feeling the pressure of rising costs.

We sit right in the middle of that and turn it into something practical.

If you have surplus, we will work with you to get it where it should be.

Call / Email

0333 004 0287
justin@breadandbutterthing.org
Justin Pritchard, Head of Food

Frequently Asked Questions

We can take a wide range of surplus food, including fresh produce, chilled goods, ambient products and frozen items. This includes:
- Short dated stock
- Overruns and end of line product
- Product with minor spec or packaging issues
- Mixed or inconsistent volumes
If it is edible and safe, we will always look to make it work.
Yes. This is a core part of what we do.
Because we control logistics and distribution, we can move food quickly and get it out to communities within tight timeframes.
We operate a rapid, UK-wide transport network using our own fleet of refrigerated vans alongside trusted logistics partners such as DHL, DFDS, Fowler Welch, Freshlinc and Moran Logistics.
We can collect goods the same or next day, and we maximise efficiency by using backhauling - helping to reduce food miles and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Yes.
We have the capability to:
- Apply labelling where required
- Sort and repack product
- Ensure food is compliant and ready for distribution
This allows us to take product that would not otherwise be suitable for redistribution.
Yes, and we understand the importance of handling these properly. We ensure:
- Controlled redistribution routes
- No secondary resale
- Appropriate handling of brand and product information
We already work within retailer supply chains, so this is well established.
In many cases, same day or next day.
We will always be clear and realistic, but speed and responsiveness are a big part of how we operate.
Food is taken into our network, sorted where needed, and distributed through our community food clubs.
From there, it goes directly to households in local communities, 52 weeks a year.
We run two warehouses with chilled and frozen storage facilities, located in Eccles (Greater Manchester) and Chilton (County Durham), with additional frozen storage available through partners across the UK. Alongside storage, we also offer tray and pallet de-hiring, plus asset return services including farm bins and dolavs.

Podcast

A Slice of Bread and Butter is our long-running podcast series, sharing stories from members, volunteers, and collaborators who make up the Bread and Butter family.

We’ve pulled together a few episodes featuring businesses already sharing surplus and making a real difference. Have a listen as they chat about the impact they’re helping to create in communities across the country.

“Worldwide Fruit has always been determined to reduce its quantities of edible surplus that go to waste but we needed a redistribution partner that could work flexibly with the complex logistics of moving tonnes of fruit around the country.”