If you are a food business looking to donate food
If you are a food business or independent food retailer looking to donate surplus food, your donation could make a real difference to people and projects tackling food insecurity in Birmingham. Our downloadable guidance offers practical advice to help ensure your donations are safe, compliant, and best utilised by community food providers.
Before donating, take a moment to:
- check food safety - ensure items are within their use-by dates, properly labelled, and stored at the right temperatures.
- separate items - store and transport food separately from non-food goods such as cleaning products, personal care items, or packaging materials. Keep chilled, frozen, and ambient foods apart to prevent cross-contamination, and ensure raw ingredients are kept separate from ready-to-eat items.
- package safely - use clean, food-grade containers and avoid donating items in damaged or dented packaging.
- label clearly - include ingredients and allergens, and mark use-by or freezing dates where appropriate.
- maintain temperature control - hot food should stay hot, and chilled or frozen food should remain at the correct temperature during transport.
- chilled foods should be stored at 8°C or below - Set your refrigerator to 5°C or below to ensure food stays at or below 8°C
- frozen foods should be kept at -18°C or colder, and must be frozen before midnight on the use-by date if you are extending their shelf life.
- hot foods must be kept at 63°C or above during holding or transport.
Use insulated containers, ice packs, or refrigerated vehicles to maintain these temperatures in transit. Always check and record temperatures before dispatch and on arrival to ensure food remains within safe limits.
If you’re not sure where to donate, you can identify nearby food projects and community kitchens using the Food Justice Network Map. The map shows a range of local foodbanks, pantries, and surplus redistribution organisations across Birmingham.
Page last updated: 31 October 2025
