Tackling food waste through innovation Initiatives
In the UK, approximately 10.7 million tonnes of food is wasted annually. The majority takes place in people’s homes, with hospitality and the food service sector, farms and retailers all contributing.
6.4 million tonnes (60%) of this food is edible.
Cooking up a fresh approach
The scale of food waste, while 7.2 million people in the UK are experiencing food poverty (House of Commons, 2024) leaves many of us scratching our heads. It not only squanders valuable resources but also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 18 million tonnes of GHG emissions each year (WRAP, 2023).
To combat this pressing issue, various initiatives have been implemented across the UK. Environmental charities like FareShare and The Felix Project work excellently, including with Hubbub’s Community Fridge Network, to redistribute surplus food, addressing both food waste and hunger. Additionally, the UK Government is committed to supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 to halve food waste by 2030 (House of Commons, 2024).
However, despite these efforts, a substantial amount of food continues to go to waste,
underscoring the need for innovative solutions. This is where the Eat It Up Fund steps in. Launched by Hubbub, the Eat It Up Fund provided grant funding of up to £40,000 during 2024 to support six initiatives with groundbreaking ideas to reduce edible food waste. By focusing on creative approaches, the fund aimed to ensure that food serves its primary purpose—to be eaten.
The Eat It Up Fund is more than just financial support; it’s a catalyst for change, empowering innovators to transform the food system and significantly reduce waste. By fostering creativity and supporting scalable solutions, the fund plays a pivotal role in moving towards a more sustainable and efficient food ecosystem. We look forward to seeing these six initiatives continue to scale their impact whilst also inspiring others to test and grow their own innovations.
Mark Breen, Senior Creative Partner, Hubbub
Edible food waste in the UK, postfarm-gate, by sector
The Wonki Collective
Impact in Year One
6 Transforming food waste into ice cream, plant-based burgers, and gourmet mushrooms! of food saved from waste in the first 12 months 99.5 tonnes of food forecasted to be saved from waste in 2025 654.1 tonnes
200 now buying and selling surplus ingredients manufacturers
Sow The City 156kg grown in spent coffee grounds by 74 volunteers of gourmet mushrooms Cobblers Tackle Food Waste
5 new food waste innovations developed
2,300 in football focused food waste activities including match day events, lunch time weigh-ins and Planet League competitions young participants Universityof Greenwich Plant-based innovation with exciting progress towards a plant-based burger made from brewers spent grain
Hornbeam Centre farms to supply communities in London with surplus fresh produce supported 17 Good Lick ice cream developed using surplus ingredients, consumer tested for flavour and commercial viability flavours
Catching a brilliant new idea and giving it the support it needs to grow into a scalable solution is essential in tackling food waste. The Eat It Up Fund is a crucial source of support for new and emerging food geniuses.
The six innovations here show how transformative early funding can be used to deliver real change and help to fix our broken food system, right across the many links in its chain.”
Catherine David, Director Behaviour Change and Business Programmes, WRAP
No single innovation can solve the challenge of food waste. As the case studies in this report show, tackling waste requires innovation across the entire food system, from farms to consumers.
Emerging technologies like AI offer new opportunities, from improving harvest forecasts to better manage the supply of food to reducing waste by increasing the efficiency of supply chains. Novel materials can reduce spoilage and extend shelf life and innovative new processes can also transform unused food into sustainable products.
Our role is to support innovative businesses in developing and scaling these solutions.”
Dr Andy Cureton, Director of AgriFood Systems, Innovate UK
The Innovators Tucking in:
The Wonki Collective Using AI to reimagine food surplus management
The Challenge
With food
while
The Solution
Food manufacturers face a significant problem. 1.4 million tonnes of ingredients goes to waste each year (WRAP). Often due to lack of visibility and inefficient redistribution systems. Wonki Collective set out to change that.
With support from the Eat It Up Fund, The Wonki Collective built an AI-powered platform that intelligently matches surplus food with buyers, keeping it in the food system instead of going to waste. Over the past year, they’ve worked closely with major food manufacturers, including Nestlé and Sipsmith, to refine their approach and increase redistribution efficiency.
poverty rising
edible
food is wasted, this initiative is a no-brainer.”
- Dr. Emma Keller, Nestlé UK & Ireland
The Wonki Collective’s Dini McGrath has been awarded the 2025 Women in Innovation Award from Innovate UK for this work. Wonki Collective will receive a £75,000 grant, personalised business coaching, and access to networking, role modelling and training opportunities.
The Wonki Collective 12 months on: The Impact
of food waste diverted back into food system
Achievements
• Industry engagement: Deepened relationships with manufacturers like Nestlé and Sipsmith, shaping the platform to meet real business needs.
• Technology development: Refined their AI matchmaking system, allowing for better surplus tracking and faster redistribution.
• Strategic expansion: Partnership with FareShare, to divert surplus food to communities.
tonnes
The Wonki Collective’s expertise
in finding imaginative solutions has been hugely beneficial to our business.”
- Doug Hunter, Operations & Supply Chain Director, Sipsmith
CO2 emissions from food waste saved 600 tonnes 200 food manufacturers onboarded 87% reduction in edible food waste at a Nestlé factory trial repeat customer rate from manufacturers 40% 50% improvement in matchmaking time between suppliers and buyers
The Wonki Collective
What's next?
Better visibility
Enhancing supply chain transparency so businesses identify surplus earlier and reallocate more efficiently.
Better management
Through enhanced visibility and integrations Wonki Collective will support business to optimise their waste management routes, ensuring efficient resource management.
Scaling up
Looking for new large food manufacturer partners to integrate their technology whilst also expanding our matchmaking technology across surplus buyers and sellers.
Industry influence
Driving systemic change through case studies, research, and policy discussions.
This platform doesn’t just cut waste — it turns food surplus into an opportunity.”
– Darren Litton, Director at Cocoba Chocolate
Additional waste streams
Supporting food manufacturers with the intelligent management of all their waste streams, from ingredients to by-products, to finished packed goods as well as surplus ingredients.
Data-driven insights
Rolling out advanced reporting tools to help manufacturers track the key metrics around food waste, from commercial uplift to sustainable and social gains.
Impact beyond the Eat It Up Fund grant
food waste saved across three Nestlé factories in 2025 618 tonnes improved transaction speed to boost platform efficiency new logistics solutions to make redistribution even smoother
Sow The City Turning spent coffee
grounds into gourmet mushrooms
The Challenge
People in the UK consume roughly 98 million cups of coffee daily (British Coffee Association), producing a huge amount of spent coffee grounds that are all too often wasted. Sow The City saw an opportunity to transform this underused resource into high-quality mushrooms while bringing communities together and teaching valuable skills.
The Solution
With support from the Eat It Up Fund, Sow The City launched Grounds to Grow, a community-driven mushroom farm that diverts waste coffee grounds from landfill and uses them to cultivate delicious, nutritious mushrooms. The project has engaged volunteers, partnered with community food projects, and pioneered fungi research, all while reducing waste.
Being involved in this project gave me hands-on knowledge of cultivation techniques and helped me build connections in my new home of Manchester.”
– Ovi, Volunteer
Lion's Mane mushrooms
Sow The City Achievements
• A circular food system: Repurposed coffee waste into a valuable food source, supplying local community fridges and food charities.
• Skills & education: Trained volunteers and local residents in mushroom cultivation, with some now growing their own at home.
• Innovative research: Experimented with Lion’s Mane cultivation, creating a high-value, nutrient-rich crop often unavailable in local shops.
• New creative collaborations: Engaged artists and makers exploring mycelium as a sustainable material for bio-packaging and design.
306kg 156kg 12 months on: The Impact
The mushroom project at Boiler House has massively improved my skills, confidence, and even inspired me to start growing my own edible mushrooms.”
- Jonah, Volunteer of mushrooms grown from upcycled waste
of agricultural waste (straw) repurposed to cultivate mushrooms in 2.3 tonnes of spent mushroom substrate used as soil improver in community allotments 2.1 tonnes
74 volunteers engaged Community partnerships formed
to local food projects like The Bread and Butter Thing and The Powerhouse
Sow The City
What's next?
Scaling up
Plans to increase production to 2 tonnes of mushrooms per year, expanding impact.
Growing community access
Strengthening partnerships with restaurants and grocers to distribute more locally grown mushrooms.
Grounds to Grow gave me a great foundation for my research into mycelium as a material, I’ll be using this in my next commission.”
– Sofi, Artist & Volunteer
Innovating with mycelium
Expanding biodegradable packaging research, using mushrooms as an alternative to plastics.
Advanced cultivation
Developing workshops for Lion’s Mane tinctures and growing exotic mushroom species.
Impact beyond the Eat It Up Fund grant
engage even more volunteers and community growers
2,000kg
of coffee waste
expand urban farming innovations into new sustainable materials
Northampton Town FC Community Trust
Tackling Food Waste, One Match at a Time
The Challenge
4.7 million tonnes or 73% of all edible food waste (WRAP) takes place in people’s homes, that is more than in any other setting. But changing behaviour at a household level can be difficult. Inspired by Hubbub’s Manchester Is Green pilot, Northampton Town FC Community Trust saw an opportunity to use football’s reach and influence to inspire thousands of fans, families, and schools to take action.
The Solution
With support from the Eat It Up Fund, the Cobblers Tackle Food Waste initiative engaged over 2,000 households, blending football, education, and gamification to promote food waste reduction. From matchday activations to school workshops and business events, the campaign turned food waste awareness into actionable change.
We loved learning during the workshops and produced an action plan to talk to our head teacher about the food waste from lunchtimes”
– Elisha, Millway Primary School Student
Northampton Town FC Community Trust
Achievements
• Football-driven engagement: Fans were inspired to tackle food waste through matchday events, stadium activations, and media outreach, reaching thousands.
• Education at scale: Over 2,300 students learned about food waste, with school lunch audits cutting waste by up to 60% in some year groups.
• Community & business involvement: 61 organisations joined the campaign, with businesses like Cawley’s Waste Management hosting school visits and providing hands-on learning.
• Boosted food waste recycling: The campaign helped normalise food caddy use, which should help households recognise food waste which is a good step towards addressing it.
• Real behavior change: Schools reported lasting impact, with students continuing to reduce waste and influence family habits.
12 months on: The Impact
2,096 households engaged
in matchday events, school workshops, business outreach, community activations, and the Planet League gamified challenges
4.5 tonnes
2,300 children participated of food waste saved in schools
61
in assemblies, workshops, lunchtime weigh-ins, and a school trip to a waste facility in 17 schools
businesses and organisations got involved, which will help build momentum beyond the life of the Eat It Up Fund grant
1,115 challenges completed
11% on the Planet League platform, encouraging gamified behaviour change
increase in food caddy usage, helping keep food waste out of landfill
Northampton Town FC Community Trust
What's next?
Sustaining school impact
Schools will be encouraged to continue food waste tracking and build waste education into daily routines.
Developing business engagement
Engaged businesses will be encouraged to keep food waste on the agenda at their networking and sustainability forums.
Improved measurement
Schools will encouraged to continue lunchtime weighins. If a portion of engaged schools continue their efforts, the target of maintaining a 20% food waste reduction remains realistic.
We promoted Cobblers Tackle Food Waste to the children at school and it followed me home. Since engaging in the project we have set up our own vegetable patch and my children love to look out for yellow stickers in store.”
– Dan Smith, Teacher, Manor School
2.5 tonnes
Impact beyond the Eat It Up Fund grant
of annual food waste savings through ongoing school participation
expanding ‘Cobbler’s Tackles’ beyond food waste to new sustainability challenges like water conservation and packaging waste
Natural Resources Institute (NRI), University of Greenwich
Turning brewery waste into the next big plantbased protein
The Challenge
Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is a huge source of food waste, with the UK beer industry generating hundreds of thousands of tonnes every year. It’s rich in protein and fibre, yet most of it goes to animal feed or landfill. Could this untapped resource become a sustainable, nutritious ingredient for plant-based foods?
The Solution
With support from the Eat It Up Fund, NRI set out to extract and repurpose protein from BSG supplied by a local distillery, developing an alternative to soy-based meat substitutes. After months of lab testing, they discovered a method to boost protein content from 28% to 59%, bringing it one step closer to becoming a viable and sustainable protein ingredient for plant-based meat analogues.
NRI, University of Greenwich
Achievements
• Developed a new protein extraction process: Using enzymes to break down BSG’s structure, making it easier to extract high-quality protein.
• Tested ways to improve texture: Exploring high moisture extrusion to create a fibrous, meat-like feel for plant-based burgers.
• Similar taste and texture to soy burgers: Early tests suggest incorporating BSG protein in a plantbased protein blend could provide similar texture and taste, with the added benefit of reducing waste.
• Laid the foundations for commercialisation: Research findings will be published, helping plant-based food manufacturers explore BSG as a sustainable protein source.
12 months on: The Impact
increase in protein content of meat analogue, making it a more valuable food ingredient
BSG protein developed for use in plant-based meat analogues
This research is exciting because it takes a major waste product and transforms it into something useful and nutritious, potentially changing the way we approach plant-based proteins.”
– Dr Parag Acharya, Associate Professor and Research Lead, University of Greenwich
NRI, University of Greenwich
What's next?
Finalising the burger recipe
Combining BSG protein with other under-utilized plant-based protein for the best texture and flavour.
Public release of findings
Publishing research to help food producers and startups adopt this innovation.
Exploring large-scale production
Testing how BSG protein could be produced at an industrial level for plant-based food brands.
Further sustainability testing
Evaluating the environmental impact and costeffectiveness of using BSG as a mainstream protein ingredient.
If
even one small food manufacturer adopts this process, we could see thousands of kilos of food waste turned into something valuable.”
– Dr Micael de Andrade Lima, Senior Lecturer in
Food Innovation, NRI, University of Greenwich
Impact beyond the Eat It Up Fund grant
further development of upcycled protein via Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein
potential to save 2 tonnes of BSG from going to waste in 2025 a commercially viable plantbased burger
The Hornbeam Centre
Farm to fork: redirecting farm surplus to communities
The Challenge
Farm waste is a major yet often overlooked issue, 1.6 million tonnes of it goes to waste each year (WRAP). The Hornbeam Centre set out to recover edible food from the supply chain— particularly from farms, wholesalers, and distributors and redirect it to communities.
The initiative has enabled us to cook creative plant-based food for people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to locally sourced organic produce. It’s a game-changer.”
– Ibby, The Gleaners Café
The Solution
With support from the Eat It Up Fund, the Hornbeam Centre developed and piloted a new approach to rescuing fresh produce and redistributing it to local communities through partnerships with food projects like The Gleaners Café and Solidarity Supermarket.
The Hornbeam Centre 12
Achievements
• Built a reliable supply chain for farm surplus: With packing and distribution proving the best collection points.
• Innovative partnerships: Including with Leytonstone Community Fridge, expanding distribution points.
• Community empowerment: Enabled food projects to turn unwanted produce into affordable, nutritious meals.
• Informed future strategies: Discovered that small organic farms often manage waste efficiently, so Hornbeam will target larger farms and distributors in future.
5.6tonnes
months on: The Impact of fresh produce diverted back to communities
3 farms served through
onboarded to supply surplus produce
250+
We used rescued pumpkins for five communal meals, feeding 5060 people each time. It sparked conversations about food waste and organic farming.”
– James Weddup, Grow It Cook It Project Manager
The Hornbeam Centre
What's next?
Scaling up
Launching a cargo bike volunteer network to collect surplus food from OrganicLea’s box scheme, ensuring fresher produce for redistribution.
Strengthening farm partnerships
Continuing direct outreach to farmers and wholesalers to expand participation.
More meals, more impact
Enhancing collaboration with community kitchens like The Gleaners Café, creating even more meals from rescued food.
Having surplus organic veg at our Solidarity Supermarket helps us talk about food waste. It also provides households with seasonal UK ingredients that will really nourish them.”
– Mickey, Solidarity Supermarket Coordinator
Impact beyond the Eat It Up Fund grant
expand the Solidarity Supermarket model to make surplus food accessible to even more people
pilot a "Gleaning Model", where volunteers collect leftover crops after farm harvests
GOOD LICK by Tom's Feast
Churning food waste into a good lick
The Challenge
The food industry discards huge amounts of ingredients, often due to minor imperfections or overproduction. Bakery, fresh fruit, dairy and eggs are some of the most wasted food types. Tom’s Feast set out to prove that these overlooked ingredients—like buttermilk, stale bread, and strawberries could be transformed into something delicious and commercially viable.
We loved having GOOD LICK at Brockley Market! Your ice cream is not only delicious but also an inspiring way to tackle food waste. It’s a hit with our customers and a brilliant example of sustainability in action.”
– Toby Allen, Brockley Market Founder
The Solution
With support from the Eat It Up Fund, GOOD LICK was born—an ice cream brand that turns food waste into premium craft ice cream, using surplus ingredients from farms and food producers. The project has tested flavours, built a strong brand identity, and engaged the public through direct sales, proving that sustainability and indulgence can go hand in hand.
GOOD LICK by Tom's Feast
Achievements
• Product innovation: Developed ice cream recipes that integrate surplus produce including milk chocolate and roasted strawberry.
• Market testing and sales: Sold directly at Brockley Market, gathering real-world feedback and refining flavours for future wholesale expansion.
• Brand and packaging development: a bold, recognisable identity with sustainable packaging prototypes.
• Food waste awareness: Partnered with Fairtrade to produce an educational video, inspiring schoolchildren to rethink food waste.
12 months on: The Impact
100kg of surplus food saved
including buttermilk, bread, and fruit
consumer tested products, selling ice cream at Brockley Market and receiving strong customer demand partnership
GOOD LICK's expertise in using food waste ingredients—while balancing the science of stable, delicious ice cream—has made this an exciting collaboration."
– Susie Hodgkin, Commercial Manager, Granny Gothards Ice Cream
GOOD LICK by Tom's Feast
What's next?
Secure new manufacturing partner
Finalise a production partnership that allows efficient scaling while maintaining the commitment to sustainability and quality.
Retail launch
Begin production for a summer launch, delivering to new stockists.
Develop brand and marketing strategy
Establish Good Lick as the leading ecoconscious ice cream brand through PR, social media, and strategic brand collaborations.
Hubbub's approach to grant making
Hubbub’s, approach to grant making is rooted in IVAR’s principles of open and trusting grant making. We champion clarity, relevance, flexibility and trust. We aim to be proportionate in our processes and purposeful in our communication—recognising the time, resource and ambition that applicants invest.
For the Eat It Up Fund, we used a two-stage application process to make applying easier, efficient and more equitable. We received 774 Expressions of Interest, where applicants shared their ideas in light detail. From these, 30 organisations were invited to submit a full application. 12 were then shortlisted and taken to a grant panel made up of experts from
“Hubbub have demonstrated a clear understanding of the challenges involved in delivering behaviour change initiatives. Their flexibility has been invaluable, allowing for adjustments where needed to ensure the projects impact.”
the food, sustainability and innovation sectors, with six initiatives ultimately funded. By asking only the questions we truly needed, offering feedback, and creating space for bold, early-stage ideas, we hoped to reduce the burden on applicants while increasing impact. The quotes below reflect how this approach was received.
“From
the application stage to our meetings, everything has been seamless and clearly designed to help grant recipients achieve the most successful outcomes.”
“Hubbub grant has facilitated this novel work on BSG protein and any commercialisation success may lead to a next generation meat analogue.”
University of Greenwich
“Hubbub have taken a hands-off yet strategic approach, which has allowed us the flexibility to implement our project while still ensuring accountability.”
The Wonki Collective
Northampton Town FC Community Trust
Tom's Feast
2025 and beyond Next course:
Further support
While we eagerly await the impact that these six initiatives have in the coming years. We've also announced seven more gamechanging food waste busting initiatives that we’ll be supporting to test and scale innovations in 2025.
The People’s
Pantry
The People’s Pantry at Govanhill Baths is a community project in Glasgow that will take a grassroots approach to tackling food waste – bringing together diverse cultural groups to share skills for making delicious preserves and ready-meals from surplus food. They plan to collaborate with partner organisations to bring in traditional techniques and methods from Eastern European Roma communities and engage migrant women using traditional South Asian culinary preservation techniques.
Newcastle University
With their ‘Waste Not!’ initiative, Newcastle University aims to minimise household food waste through an innovative ‘Internet of Things’ platform assessing food freshness in fridges. This platform will combine low-cost networked sensors and a userfriendly mobile app, backed by cutting-edge technologies, to provide accurate, real-time insights, empowering users to make timely, informed decisions for easy food sharing and
Chefs
in Schools
Chefs in Schools will train school chefs and kitchen teams to deliver nutritious, delicious, inexpensive food, with creative menus to reduce food waste. The project will see the organisation engage with schools in a 10week training programme that will involve inperson kitchen training, live online sessions and individual learning, transforming school chefs into food educators to help tackle the 96,000 tonnes of food waste that is generated by schools in England every year.
Big Ideas Company
Big Ideas Company are a social impact agency that creates new spaces for communities to come together and make lasting change. They are an all-woman team empowering participants to make a difference on the big issues. With their ‘Clean Plate’ initiative, they plan to collaborate with a prison to address the overlooked issue of food waste in prisons and create a world-first toolkit, with staff and prisoners on the ground to take to the impact in other prisons.
The Felix Project
The Felix Project is London’s largest rescuer and redistributor of surplus food, supporting over 1,000 community organisations across the capital, helping to tackle London’s food poverty crisis and reduce food waste. Their grant from the Eat It Up Fund will support the development of a processing unit that will slice, dice, freeze, and create an array of soups and sauces from surplus food. This will allow them to take bulk surplus food, store and distribute, meaning they no longer have to turn surplus food away due to capacity.
Angry Monk
Angry Monk plans to launch Herd Chefs x Angry Monk – a platform offering surplus meat, seafood and produce to the hospitality industry, supported by recipes developed by HERD. The initiative will play a pivotal role in driving HERD and Angry Monk’s shared mission to help producers sell their full output and enable chefs to use those ingredients to prepare lower cost, more sustainable menus.
Streetbox
Streetbox will repurpose surplus fresh produce that others leave behind and turn them into delicious ingredients. The project will start by rescuing 10 tonnes of surplus fresh tomatoes to turn into tinned passata sauce. Collaborating with growers and
Since 2023, Starbucks have donated £763,442 to Hubbub, funding 13 projects to tackle food waste through innovation.
We’ll continue to update on the impact from all Eat It Up Fund Initiatives. We hope that their activities inspire others to look for opportunities to innovate to address food waste and other sustainability opportunities.
We don’t currently have an open round of funding for the Eat It Up fund, but if you’re a business looking to collaborate to address food waste or you’d like to be put in contact with any of the Eat It Up Fund initiatives.
Drop us a line at hello@hubbub.org.uk
