The main aim and focus of Surplus food is to feed and fill the nutritional gap of members of the community with foods that are still edible that would have ended up in landfill.

Initially the project began as Surplus food distribution, it is here we made positive partnerships with food retailers who were willing to donate their foods that they could no longer sell. This food was then distributed to a web of organisations who had made links with Surplus foods and were willing to take on the food. Wherever possible surplus foods are collected and delivered to partner organisations on the same day. At times this is not possible as the lateness of collections can be as late as 10pm.

The food that is collected from these shops will assist PBP foodbank to add to the hampers delivered. We also deliver direct to organisations so that they can provide it to their clients who otherwise would not be able to access fresh food or maybe financially struggling so have very little or no food e,g,: soup kitchens, women’s shelters, local complexes for the elderly, family support services, young people’s projects, Adult services who support those who are at risk of homelessness or may have achieved housing so no longer homeless.

Our main aim is to make sure that food that is still edible does not go to landfill instead it goes to other projects and organisations that are helping the most vulnerable in our communities such as the soup kitchens etc. 

The food is collected from different stores across the county and then is delivered to where it is needed.

On average we donate 30 parcels of fruit, veg and bread to the food bank in pembrey to be used in their hampers.

We also donate to local projects in llanelli and surrounding areas.

During the train derailment we helped to provide food to the emergency workers and the support teams this was thanks to the shops that provided us with their surplus food.

What is surplus?

Surplus is food which can no longer be sold in shops due to being over- produced, labelling errors or short shelf life.

How much food is wasted each year?

250,000 tonnes of food is going to waste each year that is still edible, that is enough for 650 million meals. 

Surplus collects from shops 4 nights a week and it’s all done by volunteers from wth in the communities 

Did you know……………

8.4 million people in the UK struggle to eat.

4.7 million of these people live in severely food insecure homes. This means that their food intake is greatly reduced and children regularly experience physical sensations of hunger.

UN figures also show that 5.6% of people aged 15 and over struggle to get enough food. A further 4.5% report that they have been a full day without eating anything.

Fairshare’s own research shows that 46% of people accessing the services of their charity partners have gone a whole day without a proper meal in the last month.