From surplus harvests to nourishing food
We rescue fresh vegetables from local farms and turn them into healthy meals & long life products.
• Local, Social, Ethical
• Local, Social, Ethical
social value from surplus Food
Sussex Surplus is a community-powered social enterprise turning fresh, surplus food at risk of waste into long-life products and nourishing meals. We run gleaning days across Sussex, produce jars of soup for independent retailers, serve our community at a weekly café in East Brighton, and offer catering for events.
Get in touch to stock our soup or work with us on your next event.
no food should go to waste
Every year, around 5 million tonnes of fresh produce is wasted on UK farms. We work directly with local growers to rescue surplus that would otherwise be left in the field, turning it into nutritious, long-life food for our community. Alongside this, we create meaningful, entry-level paid opportunities for young people facing barriers to employment; building skills, confidence, and pathways into work.
Our work in numbers
14,136
of veg rescued from farms across Sussex in 2025, equating to 176,700 portions of food.
2.7kg
of emissions saved from every 1kg of fresh food rescued. The food we rescued in 2025 alone equates to saving 38 tonnes of CO2.
176
volunteer attendees in 2025 at 30 gleans and pack-house collections, improving physical and mental health as well as understanding of local food production.
what can i do to help?
Join our gleaning team
We bring community organisations, farmers and volunteers together to harvest and redirect farm-level surplus to community food and food aid organisations. Sign up to be notified of upcoming gleaning days and join us in the fields for a nourishing day of harvesting!
Sign up to be a gleaning volunteer
join us in the kitchen
Sussex Surplus cooks a weekly community meal in Kemptown, Brighton, using ingredients that are gleaned or from our partner organisation FareShare Sussex. You can sign up to volunteer with us cooking, hosting or collecting food.
Book us to cater your event
Sussex Surplus has a team of chefs that turn food at risk of being wasted into tasty menus. If you’re looking for a caterer for an upcoming event we’d love to hear from you!
Host a glean
If you own or work on a farm, we’d love to collaborate! At no cost to you we harvest and pack unsellable produce from the farm and transport it to non-profit projects that feed people facing food poverty. Whether it’s a few crates of produce or several tonnes of perishables, let’s connect!
DONATE
You can support Sussex Surplus’ work in the community with a financial donation. Our weekly meal and community fridge are provided on a ‘pay as you feel’ basis, so nobody is turned away through lack of funds.
