Ample turns surplus food into hospital meals
An ambitious multi-million pound central production kitchen could soon be turning farm surplus food into meals for schools and hospitals. Ample is a startup innovator that enables British farmers to sell their fresh, tasty produce to sustainably-minded businesses in the food industry including restaurants, wholesalers, manufacturers, caterers and charities.
Leon Aarts, food advocate and Ample co-founder, said: “We are really excited to be launching Ample Kitchen because it will demonstrate a sustainable way to address our food chain crisis.
“We can’t bear to see good food go to waste, especially when we all know how important it is to act and mitigate climate change. Together with Oakland we are bringing nutritious and delicious British food to students and patients at keen prices.
“We are already working on recipe development with customers and partners and test batches will be produced this summer. The main facility, a dedicated production facility near Redditch, is due to be in production in the fourth quarter of 2025.
“There is a lot of interest among schools and NHS Trusts because many forward-facing customers are looking towards more healthy, plant-based diets without losing any of the nutritional quality. Surplus fresh fruit and veg is perfect for this. Up to 15% of all food grown in the UK never leaves the farm, mainly because it doesn’t fit cosmetic requirements demanded by supermarkets.
“This equates to over 10m meals every day - more than enough to end food poverty. And farmers, obliged to deliver what consumers want, don’t get paid for produce that doesn’t make the grade. Where does it go? Most is being ploughed in, burned or disposed of as waste.
“So, building on the success of Ample Marketplace, launched in 2024, Ample Kitchen will utilise these surpluses to produce millions of high-value meals, and at the same time ensure that farmers are paid a fair price for their great British produce.
“Drawing on Oakland’s expertise and resources we will produce high quality, nutritious and delicious meals using surplus ingredients. Ample Kitchen will have the capacity to produce a million meals every month, blast-frozen to extend the life of produce that would otherwise go to waste.
“We will offer a range of family favourites and classic dishes and components that appeal to a broad audience, such as vegan lasagne, fish pie, chicken and leek pie, cauliflower/squash cheese, and root vegetable gratin; packaged in both individual and catering variants.
“This serves several cost-sensitive markets including school meal programmes, community outlets and the NHS, as well as direct to consumers. Ample meals will also be available to purchase directly and to donate to social causes fighting poverty, including our charity partners such as FareShare and The Felix Project. Our take on BOGOF is to buy one and GIVE one free.”
Oakland International is a full service logistics business with a reputation for innovation through sustainability, servicing retail, wholesale, discount and convenience markets.
Dean Attwell, co-founder of Oakland International, added: “We know our purpose extends beyond job creation and profit and measure our success by the impact made in the many communities that make us who we are.
“We are delighted to partner with Ample to support this ambitious project to establish a dedicated industrial-scale kitchen that will provide high-quality food that will be really appreciated by schools and hospitals.”
