Surplus Food Market
Birmingham’s Wholesale Market
Surplus food opportunities at Birmingham's Wholesale Market
Over 40% of children in Birmingham live in poverty. To help combat this, a surplus food pilot is underway at Birmingham’s Wholesale Market, aiming to divert fresh produce from waste and address food poverty in the city. The Active Wellbeing Society has partnered with the Wholesale Market’s management team, supported by Birmingham City Council, to engage wholesale traders in donating surplus produce. A 120sqm warehouse on-site will accept surplus food from both within and outside the markets, which includes any surplus produce from farmers and growers.
The project so far...
Business as usual >
- Food charities pick up surplus food from individual tenants in the market to support people in food poverty.
- Tenants pay £80 a tonne to send waste food for anaerobic waste-processing
- Tenants are very conscious of minimising their waste but unforeseen events such as changes in demand, weather, staff absence lead to unavoidable waste.
The pilot >
- A mini-pilot was undertaken after approaching the management team and board with whom we had already established a good relationship
- The pilot encourages tenants to drop off edible surplus– so they can avoid waste costs and support people in the city.
- We have been collecting from 100kg to up to a tonne of surplus produce when at the market
Next steps >
- Hire a hub coordinator who can continue to engage tenants and co-design the process
- Develop relationships with farmers and growers through the NFU to let them know we are can accept and redistribute surplus produce and are willing to cover costs.
- Recruit volunteers through the Food Justice Network to distribute and deliver surplus
Collecting produce from farmers & growers
How the surplus will be used
This pilot will ensure food is redistributed through the Food Justice Network, a coalition of over 300 community groups supporting residents in need across Birmingham. Any inedible food will be composted off-site.
A consistent supply of surplus food empowers groups to serve vulnerable populations, promote healthy eating, and help fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”
As a member of the Food Justice Network, the Active Wellbeing Society uses surplus food across our community cafes, community cookalongs and outreach events.
Food projects offer more than just meals. They provide respite, a place to talk, and a chance to reconnect socially and civically. They also offer opportunities to gain and share knowledge, find employment, and volunteer.”
At a community cafe in Small Heath, Birmingham, people often tell The Active Wellbeing Society that the meal they provide is their only hot meal of the day. Fresh produce ensures they can offer well-balanced meals. The spokesperson added, “We know that participants in our activities struggle without a decent meal.”
How you can get involved
We recognise that it’s tough out there for farmers and growers. However, in the event of surplus produce such as outgrades, our 120 sqm of space and collaborative joined up approach mean we are ready to accept whatever surplus food you have to offer and we want to contribute financially towards it .
If you have a glut of produce, please contact Vicky Hemming from The Active Wellbeing Society directly on 078 1077 5959 or through [email protected] to find out more or discuss opportunities.
We would love to hear from you.
