CAFRE support FareShare in quest to reduce food waste

April 22, 2025

The charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimates that over 10 million tonnes of food from across the agri-food supply chain ends up as waste every year, with a large percentage of this still being edible. Food Technologists at College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) are working alongside FareShare, who are operated by Homeless Connect, to help tackle the problem.

FareShare receives good quality, surplus food from food manufacturers and retailers across Northern Ireland. They distribute this to local community groups, charities and schools, to help reduce food waste and tackle food poverty in our communities.

Food Technologist, Zita McNaugher commented “I was surprised by the volume of surplus food received by FareShare. I immediately saw the potential to develop products that would extend the shelf life of the fresh produce, by using simple food processing techniques.” Using the Food Innovation Centre kitchens at CAFRE, Loughry Campus, Cookstown, Zita is using fresh surplus vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and onions to develop sauce recipes. The final prototypes will be highly nutritious and easy for families and groups to incorporate into their mealtimes.

Róisín Colohan, Operations Manager at FareShare said “We are looking forward to seeing the results of the project with CAFRE so that we can establish ways to make our additional surplus go further, and help to meet the nutritional needs of those within our communities who are experiencing poverty and food insecurity.” 

The CAFRE designed products will enable FareShare to source a food manufacturer to produce and pack the product for distribution to the charities, schools and community groups they currently support.

For more information on how CAFRE can help your company address food waste, click here.