A food producer with kitchens in Dulcote has promised to hit zero edible food waste this year, with leftovers already feeding thousands.

Charlie Bigham's says it will hit zero edible food waste by the end of 2025 – and has already turned leftover sauces, pies and chicken wings into hundreds of thousands of meals for people in need.

The pre-prepared meals firm, which runs kitchens in London and Somerset, has launched what it calls an industry-first scheme to redistribute surplus food through charities including FareShare South West, City Harvest and the Coronation Food Project.

In 2024 alone, 242,000 meals and ingredients – the equivalent of 107 tonnes – were donated to good causes across the UK. Since 2021, more than half a million meals have been handed out, with 162,000 of these saved from going to waste.

Patrick Cairns, CEO of Charlie Bigham's, said: "We believe our food is too good to waste, especially when so many still go hungry. That's why we've gone beyond reduction to actively eliminate surplus – and when we do have excess, we ensure it feeds people, not bins."

As well as rescuing surplus sauces, the firm has been donating chicken wings – around 100 kilos a day that would otherwise have been thrown out – and 83 tonnes of pastry offcuts from its pies. Staff also take home stock that doesn't meet retail requirements, saving a further 43,600 meals last year.

The push is part of a wider environmental commitment. The company, a certified B-Corp, has pledged to become net-zero by 2040, with a 42% cut in greenhouse gas emissions over the next five years. It has signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative to ensure its supply chain also reduces emissions in line with climate science.

Charities say the approach is setting a new standard. Ben Evans, from FareShare South West, said: "The Charlie Bigham's approach is pioneering – they've put sustainability and community above convenience – and as a result, have reached thousands more people across the Southwest."

Mary Parsons, head of food at City Harvest, added: "Charlie Bigham's makes tackling food waste an everyday process. A lot of companies don't see the cost-benefit in doing this, but Charlie Bigham's has a budget in their P&L for packaging up waste food, making them different to the majority of other donors."

Cairns said the mission goes beyond sustainability: "Food waste may be inevitable at scale, but what we do about it is a choice, and for us, that choice is clear. We don't see food waste as just an operational challenge; we see it as an opportunity to do good."