COVID-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant

Both WRAP and Defra appreciate the significant challenges and hard work that many not-for-profit food redistributors are currently facing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. These essential organisations play a vital role in ensuring surplus food can reach people in need or those considered most vulnerable, whilst also preventing this essential resource from becoming waste.

Phase 2 for small surplus food redistributors is now open.
Phase 3 for medium-to-larger operators is now open.

As part of the UK Government’s collaborative response to supporting key infrastructure throughout this difficult time, Defra is today making £3.25m available through the Resource Action Fund administered by WRAP. The COVID-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant will be delivered in three phases.

• Phase 1: WRAP has approached a target list of small redistribution organisations who have previously applied to the fund to ascertain their immediate need for potential funding support.
• Phase 2 provides funding opportunities for small surplus food redistributors and is now open.
• Phase 3 is aimed aimed at medium-to-larger operators and is now open.

The aim of the grant is to assist surplus food redistributors in overcoming challenges that they are currently facing in obtaining surplus food from food businesses (such as retailers and food manufacturers) and distributing this to people in need or those considered vulnerable. The grant can be used to fund both capital and revenue costs associated with redistribution activities such as:

• access to surplus food through logistical collections;
• sorting, storing, freezing, labelling / repackaging food; and
• onward distribution of food to charities or end beneficiaries.

For further information please visit the Wrap website here https://wrap.org.uk/content/covid-19-emergency-surplus-food-grant