There are a number of surplus food redistribution organisations operating in Ireland that can help you get your surplus food to those who can use it.
FoodCloud, TooGoodToGo and Olio operate on a national level redistibuting surplus food.
There are a large number of local based organisations redistributing donated and surplus food in their areas. Contacting your Local Development Company can be a good way to identify who is operating such a service in your local area.

FoodCloud is a non-profit organisation connecting food businesses that have surplus food with local community and voluntary organisations, providing an environmentally sensitive, socially responsible and economically viable alternative to throwing away perfectly good food.FoodCloud offers two solutions to food businesses across the food supply chain. The Foodiverse app puts food businesses directly in contact with community groups in their local area to donate food.FoodCloud Hubs in Dublin, Cork and Galway accept larger volumes of food which is then distributed nationwide.FoodCloud accepts a wide range of surplus food as long as it is:• In date and good quality (food must have a minimum of five days shelf life and must be safe for human consumption)• Packaged appropriately• Temperature controlled (if applicable)
If you would like to find out more about working with FoodCloud email food@foodcloud.ie

With Olio, businesses can share good-to-eat surplus food with people who need it, and change lives in local communities while they’re at it. Powered by a national network of 145,000 passionate, trained volunteers, Olio’s food sharing platform helps businesses deliver game-changing social impact in communities near their stores.

Here's how it works: businesses are paired with local Food Waste Hero volunteers, who arrive on site at an agreed time to collect any food that didn't sell that day. Volunteers then take that food home, take photos, and list it on Olio's app, for local people to request and collect. Olio then report back on the positive impact that food has had - both on families nearby, and on the planet.

Since Olio was founded in 2019, volunteers have rescued over 110 million meals with households across the UK, equating to saving over 35 billion litres of water from going to waste, and preventing over 200,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.

In addition to surplus food sharing, Olio now helps businesses sell more of their discounted food, via their Reductions Feed and Lucky Dip offerings.
Click here to find out more about working with Olio

Too Good To Go is a global social impact company that connects users with partners to rescue unsold food and stop it from going to waste. With over 120 million registered users and more than 180,000 active partners across 19 countries in Europe, Australia and North America, Too Good To Go is a certified B Corp company that operates the world's largest marketplace for surplus food.
The Too Good To Go Surprise Bag is a simple solution that helps businesses across Grocery Retail, Bakery Cafe, Fast Casual and QSR unlock value from surplus food and reduce food waste. As surplus varies on a day-to-day basis, retailers have the flexibility to include genuine surplus in Surprise Bags — whatever that ends up being.

Too Good To Go users reserve Surprise Bags through the app filled with a surprise mix of surplus food items, at a reduced price from the contents' original retail value. The user then arrives within the pick-up window the store sets, shows their in-app receipt and receives their Surprise Bag.
Click here to find out more about working with Too Good to Go

In addition to surplus food sharing, Olio now helps businesses sell more of their discounted food, via their Reductions Feed and Lucky Dip offerings.
Click here to find out more about working with Olio

Businesses can of course also donate food to local charities and community groups through ad hoc locally arranged collaborations or through locally based food banks.  Your Local Development Company may be able to help you understand if this might be an option in your area.Contact your Local Development Company here.

Donating surplus food is a great thing to do but it is important to remember that it may require some systems or process changes. This might involve handling food materials differently, separating surplus from waste streams or investing in new infrastructure, such as increased storage space. But, once these elements are in place, surplus redistribution can become just another part of how your business operates.To get started, or to expand any redistribution that you already do, you may need assistance. Depending on the scale of your business and your needs, the following sources may be of assistance to you.

Local Enterprise Office - Green for BusinessGreen for Business offers 2 days of consultancy support and follow on grant of up to €10,000 to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment. Available for any company up to a max. 50 employees.More detail:The Green for Business programme run by Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) offers 2 days independent consultancy support related to resource efficiency, the circular economy, carbon, etc. This offer is available to any company up to a maximum of 50 employees.Companies that complete this step can then apply for an ‘energy efficiency’ grant of up to €10,000 (75% of eligible costs) for technologies and equipment. This grant can be used for measures beyond just energy, including waste reduction and recycling.Potential relevance to food donation: For example, a company might consider what equipment they might need in order to begin or expand food donation from their process thereby reducing waste and their impact on the environment.

Enterprise Ireland: Climate Action Vouchers  Climate Action vouchers provides up to 2 days of independent advisory services or training to develop a sustainability action plan.More detail:There are various sustainability supports available for Enterprise Ireland (EI) companies (those who export or are looking to export). One such support is the Climate Action voucher, which provides up to 2 days of independent advisory services or training to develop a sustainability action plan. Maximum award of €1,800 / maximum course fees of €1,800.Potential relevance to food donation: advisory services or training.

The food waste hierarchy outlines the order in which food waste should be managed. Prevention is first, with redistribution second. If your surplus food is not suitable human consumption and therefore redistribution, there may still be ways you can manage your waste, higher up the hierarchy than is currently the case. This may require some systems or process changes, including how you handle food materials , separating surplus from waste streams or investing in new infrastructure. Depending on the scale of your business and your needs, the following financial supports may be to support you to move your waste higher up the food waste hierarchy.

Local Enterprise Office - Green for BusinessGreen for Business offers 2 days of consultancy support and follow on grant of up to €10,000 to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment. Available for any company up to a max. 50 employees.More detail:The Green for Business programme run by Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) offers 2 days independent consultancy support related to resource efficiency, the circular economy, carbon, etc. This offer is available to any company up to a maximum of 50 employees.Companies that complete this step can then apply for an ‘energy efficiency’ grant of up to €10,000 (75% of eligible costs) for technologies and equipment. This grant can be used for measures beyond just energy, including waste reduction and recycling.Potential relevance to food donation: For example, a company might consider what equipment they might need in order to begin or expand food donation from their process thereby reducing waste and their impact on the environment.