Gleaning Network EU aims to bring together and support a number of existing gleaning projects within several EU countries, and to understand the opportunities and challenges to further catalysing gleaning movements across Europe. Gleaning Network EU is part of FUSIONS.

The project is being lead by Gleaning Network UK, who are a part of Feedback. In addition to the UK, the project currently involves organisations in Belgium, Greece, France and Spain. You can read more about each of these below.

For more information about Gleaning Network EU, please email dan@feedbackglobal.org

 

Belgium

GLEANING NETWORK BELGIUM kicked off its first mission in March 2014. Since then, we have been hitting the fields in all corners of Belgium to harvest fresh vegetables and fruits that would otherwise have gone to waste. Thanks to our friends from the food bank, the fresh produce is distributed to those that need it the most.

If you want to join the glean revolution in Belgium, please get in touch. We welcome more gleaners, more farmers and more charities in need of fresh, nutritious food.

For more information on Gleaning in Belgium or to sign up to our gleaning list, please see our Facebook page or email Dan Woolley: dan@feedbackglobal.org

 

France

RE-BON is based in the Nantes region (50 km maximum) in the west of France. We started gleaning in February 2013. So far, we have 30 members involved in the project and more than 350 volunteers who come and glean occasionally. Around 12 producers welcome us regularly to their farms. However, food charities always needs lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, so we are looking for more producers to work with! And new volunteers are always welcome, so come and join us!

To find out more about Re-Bon and our gleaning work in France, see our Facebook page or contact rebon.info@gmail.com

 

Greece

BOROUME, which means “we can” in Greek, is a non-profit organisation that fights food waste by organizing the distribution of surplus food for charity throughout Greece.

Despite Greece having year-round agricultural production, the concept of gleaning was previously unknown in our country. In the beginning of 2014, Boroume received valuable insights and education about gleaning from Leket Israel and St. Andrews Society in the USA. Following this we created our project, ‘BOROUME Gleaning’. There are now 2-3 volunteers working permanently on this program, and in October 2014 we received a grant from the Latsis Foundation to enhance our gleaning activities.

To find out more about Boroume and our gleaning work in Greece, see our website: www.boroume.gr/

 

Spain

ESPIGOLADORS, based in the north of Spain, is a social enterprise that fights food waste in a transformative and inclusive manner. We transform imperfect produce into opportunities. We aim to have an impact on three social issues: food waste; the lack of access to safe, healthy and nutritious food for groups at risk of social exclusion; and the lack of opportunities for these groups.

Our model involves the collection of fruit and vegetables from farms and wholesale markets that are rejected from the market for a variety of reasons such as aesthetic standards or gluts. We donate part of this produce to organisations that provide food to people in need. The remaining fruit and vegetables are transformed into four types of product – jams, creams, juices and sauces – which are sold under our own brand, ‘Es Im-perfect’. Es Im-perfect works with groups at risk of social exclusion to create and sell these products.

We are creating a network of farmers, producers and food companies to work with Espigoladors in the fight against food waste.

To find out more about Espigoladors and our gleaning work in Spain, see our website: www.espigoladors.com