Declaration on Surplus Food Sharing and Redistribution

Ireland is inviting national governments around the world to join a new Declaration on Surplus Food Sharing and Redistribution, recognising the important contribution that surplus food redistribution can make to food security, climate action and the transition to a more circular and sustainable food system.

Every year, significant quantities of food that could otherwise be safely consumed are lost or wasted across the food supply chain. At the same time, households and communities face food insecurity and food systems are under increasing pressure to use land, water, energy and other resources more efficiently.

We can do better with the food we already produce.

Sharing and redistributing safe, nutritious surplus food keeps food at its highest possible value, supports people who need it, prevents avoidable food waste and reduces the environmental impacts associated with producing, processing, transporting and disposing of food that is ultimately not consumed.

Ireland is championing this Declaration to encourage governments to work together to make surplus food sharing and redistribution a more established and scalable part of sustainable food systems.

Surplus food redistribution provides a practical opportunity to address several interconnected global challenges.

By prioritising food for people wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so, we can:

• Strengthen food security by ensuring surplus food, that is safe, nutritious and appropriate reaches people who need it most.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by preventing edible food from becoming waste.
• Maximise the value of food produced through safe donation and redistribution.
• Deliver cost savings and efficiencies across the food supply chain.
• Support a more sustainable and circular food system through food redistribution partnerships.

Surplus food redistribution is a practical example of how circular economy principles can be applied to everyday food systems: prevent waste, retain value and ensure that resources already invested in food production deliver the greatest possible benefit.

The Declaration recognises that surplus food sharing and redistribution can make an important contribution to sustainable food systems and to the achievement of international commitments under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including:

• SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
• SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
• SDG 13 – Climate Action

The Declaration also recognises the importance of the food use and waste hierarchy, including the principle that safe and suitable surplus food should, wherever practicable, be prioritised for human consumption.

The Declaration has been developed by Ireland's Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment in consultation with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and FoodCloud, drawing on Ireland's experience of developing and scaling surplus food redistribution partnerships.

By signing the Declaration, national governments will recognise the value of surplus food sharing and redistribution as an effective circular economy and food-system intervention.

Signatories will be encouraged to share experiences, identify opportunities for collaboration, and promote policies and initiatives that support surplus food sharing and redistribution in line with national circumstances.

The Declaration recognises that countries have different food systems, regulatory frameworks, economic circumstances and institutional arrangements. Its purpose is to encourage practical action and international cooperation while allowing each signatory to determine the approaches most appropriate to its national circumstances.

Governments can help create the conditions in which surplus food can move efficiently from those who have it to those who can use it. This can include supporting partnerships, addressing regulatory or operational barriers, strengthening awareness, improving data and measurement, and ensuring that food waste prevention and redistribution are considered across relevant areas of public policy.

Importantly, surplus food redistribution does not replace efforts to prevent surplus food from arising in the first place. Rather, it forms part of a wider food waste prevention approach in which prevention is prioritised, and safe surplus food is redirected to human consumption wherever possible.

Ireland is inviting national governments to join us in recognising that surplus food is a resource, not simply a waste stream.

Ireland will be championing this Declaration at COP31 in Türkiye, and we encourage governments to join Ireland in demonstrating international leadership on an issue where tangible action can deliver immediate and lasting benefits for people, communities and the planet.

By working together, we can share what works, build stronger partnerships and accelerate the development of food systems that make better use of the food and resources already available.

We invite governments to sign the Declaration and join Ireland in championing surplus food sharing and redistribution as a practical contribution to food security, climate action and the circular economy.

Read and sign the Declaration

If you represent a national government and wish to register your government's interest in becoming a Signatory to the Declaration, or would like further information about the process, please complete the Expression of Interest form below:

Expression of Interest Form

The Declaration is open for signature by national governments.

Other organisations — including local authorities, businesses, civil society organisations, food charities, social enterprises and research institutions — are also encouraged to support the objectives of the Declaration and help promote surplus food sharing and redistribution.

Further information on how organisations can support the Declaration will be made available on this webpage.

Together, we can keep good food in use, support people, reduce waste and make better use of the resources invested in our food system.