A non-profit social enterprise recovers fruit and vegetables excluded from commercial markets because of surpluses, falling prices or aesthetic standards. Volunteers glean produce from participating farms; most recovered food is distributed through social organisations and free food-distribution services. Some surplus produce is converted into plant-based preserves through social-enterprise kitchen, which provides employment and training for people at risk of social exclusion.
Fundació Espigoladors – Gleaning for Food Recovery and Social Inclusion
A Spanish social enterprise gleans surplus fruit and vegetables from farms, turning market rejects into food, jobs and training for people at risk of exclusion.
Transformation
Operating across the personal, practical and political spheres, it combines food redistribution, circular production, inclusive employment, citizen participation, research and advocacy. By challenging the classification of edible produce as waste and framing healthy food as a right, it may shift the food system from downstream food rescue towards upstream prevention and structural change.
Equity
The initiative improves access to fresh, healthy food for people experiencing vulnerability; creates supported employment and training opportunities for people at risk of exclusion; and involves volunteers, farmers and social organisations in implementation. It connects distributive equity—redistributing food and employment—with recognition and capabilities. It also seeks to replace a passive food-aid model with a rights-based and empowering approach.
Biodiversity
Preventing food loss can reduce unnecessary pressure on land, water, soils, fertilisers and other resources associated with producing food that is never consumed. Supporting local and seasonal produce and strengthening smaller farmers may also help maintain peri-urban agricultural landscapes
