FareShare’s Food Life Extension Programme

Food manufacturers, suppliers and packaging providers – we would love to work with you on our cutting-edge FLEX Programme.

FLEX – or Food Life Extension Programme – is FareShare’s award-winning initiative that turns surplus food into long-lasting, nutritious food products that feed people across the country.

Whether you are a canning company, process frozen food, supply packaging or are a food manufacturer who can produce other long-life meals we want to hear from you. Full funding is available for this work.

These surplus apples were turned into long-lasting bottled apple juice

What is the FLEX Programme?

There are many reasons that food becomes surplus. Whether it’s due to a bumper harvest, over-ordering or another reason, FLEX is set up to quickly step in, process the surplus and extend its shelf life, ensuring nothing goes to waste. From carrots to edamame beans, cheese to potatoes, FLEX can turn it into long-lasting food that feeds people that need it.

The FLEX programme’s tinned saag aloo won the Achieving Sustainable Solutions Award at the IFE Manufacturing Ingredients Awards 2025.

Here are some examples of how FLEX works:

• When our suppliers delivered us a bumper amount of carrots, FLEX allowed us to quickly turn these into frozen carrot batons, which lasted longer and were perfect for feeding families and for charities that provide hot food to use in their meals.
• Surplus spinach and potatoes didn’t go to waste when chefs at a canning company turned them into long-lasting tinned saag aloo (spinach and potato curry) for FareShare to distribute to charities around the country.
• A large quantity of frozen cauliflower and cheese was turned into a hearty, nutritious cauliflower cheese soup that was canned to be long lasting.
• Surplus frozen fries were turned into delicious potato soup and canned, to provide a long life meal.
• A glut of apples was turned into long-lasting bottled apple juice.
• Due to a bumper harvest, fresh courgettes were converted into jarred courgette chutney, increasing their shelf life.

Zerah Vickers from FareShare with Robert Edge-Partington, Senior Communications Manager at the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) at the awards ceremony in March 2025. The IFE Manufacturing Ingredients Awards are in association with the IFST.

Our impact

With the support of funding from the Julia Rausing Trust, alongside invaluable contributions from suppliers and partners FLEX has:

• created nutritious, long-life food for thousands of people in need.
• supported over 4,000 charities.
• lowered the environmental impact of food by reducing waste.

Looking ahead

We would like FLEX to grow and help more people by:

• building new partnerships with food manufacturers, suppliers, and packaging providers
• exploring modern processing and preservation techniques.

Join us

Are you a food manufacturer, supplier, or packaging provider? Would you like to partner with us, to help turn surplus food into nutritious meals for people across the UK? We have funding available to work with you and would love to hear from you.

Contact us: Fill out the enquiry form on this page or email us at givefood@fareshare.org.uk.

Together, we can prevent food waste, reduce environmental impact, and ensure communities across the UK receive the nutritious meals they need.