Farms salvaged 228,000 tonnes of surplus produce in 2025 as global reliance on food banks increased
The amount of produce donated to global food banks from farms increased by 55 per cent in 2025, according to new data from international nonprofit organisation The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN).
In total, 228,000 tonnes of surplus farm produce was rescued that would otherwise have gone to waste.
Fruit and vegetables made up the largest share of food distributed by the network, accounting for nearly half of all food distributed by member food banks.
Agricultural recovery involves redirecting safe, edible produce that cannot be sold because of cosmetic imperfections, market oversupply or logistical challenges to food banks, instead of allowing it to go to waste.
By preventing produce from decomposing in fields or ending up in landfill agricultural recovery also reduces greenhouse gas emissions, alongside helping households experiencing food insecurity.
Globally in 2025, GFN said its member food banks served a total of approximately 40.5 million people experiencing hunger across 47 countries in 2025, an increase of 2.5mn people in 2024.
The company’s food banks prevented an overall sum of 500,000 tonnes of food from going to waste, delivering an environmental benefit comparable to removing approximately 473,000 vehicles from the road.
The figures come as conflict, geopolitical tensions, food price shocks and natural disasters around the world continue to strain global food systems, underscoring the importance of food banks.
Lisa Moon, president and CEO of The Global FoodBanking Network, said: “Last year, dramatic and sudden reductions in official development assistance set off the most significant upheaval of humanitarian funding in decades.
“Food banks — ever agile, responsive and resilient — continued to serve as safety nets around the world, connecting local communities to nutritious food, despite the challenges,” she added.
One of the latest supply chain models for food banks is virtual food banking, or direct collection, in which technology platforms connect farms, manufacturers, retailers or restaurants to charities and community groups. This avoids routing through traditional storage facilities, reducing transportation costs, storage requirements and distribution delays.
The findings also come on the same day UK charities signed a covenant pledging to triple UK redistribution as part of a larger national programme announced by former PM Keir Starmer in May 2026.
