Gleaning Spain's Unsold Harvests

Founded in 2014 near Barcelona by social entrepreneur Mireia Barba, Fundació Espigoladors organizes volunteer "gleaners" (espigoladors) who harvest surplus or cosmetically imperfect produce that supermarkets reject, working directly with local farmers. Most of the rescued food is redistributed fresh to food banks and social organizations, while the rest is transformed into "im-perfect" preserves at a workshop that employs women over 45 and people at risk of social exclusion. Since its founding the foundation reports recovering over 3,000 tonnes of food from more than 260 producers and serving over 9.5 million food portions to people in need.