A Devon-based food organisation has secured over £1.5m to redistribute surplus food into the community.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Afairs (DEFRA) said grants of £13.6m have been offered to 12 charities across England to ensure more than 19,000 tonnes of food, that would otherwise go to waste, would be redistributed to homeless shelters, food banks and charities.

Chantelle Norton from not-for-profit Food in Community CIC said: "We take volunteers onto the fields to glean surplus vegetables and fruits from farms and orchards and we distribute it."

Ms Norton added that funding would help to create jobs and volunteering opportunities.

'Make a huge difference'

Ms Norton said the organisation supplied charities, community groups and a community cafe which it runs.

She said: "What this new announcement will mean is that we'll be able to greatly expand our gleaning operations to get more of that surplus food out of those fields that currently doesn't get beyond the farm gates," she added.

"We're going to be using that money to create jobs, to create really wonderful volunteering opportunities on farms as well.

"We're also going to be producing a significantly good amount of extra food that is locally produce into the food supply."

'Open up access'

David Markson, also from Food in Community, said the organisation had a free box scheme available to people in the local community.

"We had to get much more strict with our referrals procedure and unfortunately if we opened it wider it could be thousands at the moment," he added.

"We do the best we can with what we've got and this will open up a lot more access to a lot more people."

Ms Norton said the farmers involved had been really supportive.

"They very generously allowed our volunteers access onto their land to pick," she added.

"Hopefully the facility will be in a position down the line to actually commission crops to be grown."

'Throwaway culture'

The Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate scheme was set up to help charities in England boost their relationships with farmers.

DEFRA said the grants would see more farm gates opened up to ensure edible food, which might have been left in fields, ends up on the nation's plates.

Waste Minister Mary Creagh said: "This government's Plan for Change is acting on food poverty and tackling Britain's throwaway culture, ensuring more good food ends up on plates and not in bins.

"I am delighted to see this support go to 12 outstanding redistribution charities to form closer relationships with our hard-working farmers, and ensure their good food goes to those in need."