The Let's Make a Meal of It campaign, held throughout April and May, has raised more than half a million pounds by bringing together five major supermarkets and dozens of businesses to turn surplus food into meals for charities across the UK.
Alliance Food Sourcing (AFS) and Felix, Britain's leading food redistribution charity, led the initiative with 50 businesses, including Sainsbury's, M&S, Morrisons, Tesco and Waitrose. Millions of shoppers supported the campaign both online and in store, helping to fund fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and cupboard staples for those most in need.
Rising food insecurity among children
The fundraising effort comes as the Food Foundation revealed that 15 per cent of households with children experienced food insecurity in January 2026, amounting to 2.2 million children in the UK. The campaign directly targeted this growing need by rescuing edible surplus food from the UK supply chain and redirecting it to charities.
Every £1 donated during the campaign provided five meals, with funding focused on products classed as "high demand". Customer donations were 45 per cent higher than last year's campaign, reflecting the public's determination to tackle hunger.
Rescued food and innovative products
The campaign achieved a series of practical milestones, including rescuing 500 tonnes of surplus fresh fruit and vegetables that would otherwise have been wasted. New processes were developed to create vitamin-rich juice and smoothies from surplus fruit, alongside the supply of 250 tonnes of rice and noodles and 80 tonnes of porridge.
From the end of July, a million cans of Branston baked beans, produced in spare factory time, will reach charities. Minced meat supplied using spare factory capacity will follow from August, while surplus ingredients were repurposed to make nutritious fishcakes.
Charity leaders respond
Nicky Robinson, director of Alliance Food Sourcing, said: "We're delighted to see such huge generosity from the British public. It will mean thousands more tonnes of good, surplus food will go to people going hungry across the UK, including fresh veg, protein and staples." Robinson added: "A big thank you to everyone who donated to Let's Make a Meal of It and to all 5 retailers involved."
Charlotte Hill, CEO of Felix, highlighted the ongoing pressure on food banks and charities. "Sadly, the demand amongst the charities we support is increasing, 54 per cent said they have seen demand rise in the last year," she said. "This money is vital and will ensure Alliance Food Sourcing and Felix can continue to innovate and source much needed food, so a huge thank you to everyone involved."
