Food waste is one of those problems that most people are vaguely aware of but don’t fully appreciate the scale of—just how much perfectly good food never reaches anyone’s plate. In Spain, an organization called Espigoladors has been quietly proving since 2014 that food written off as surplus or too ugly for supermarket shelves can still do a lot of good for people, communities, and the environment. Their work has become even more timely as Spain has started taking food waste much more seriously at the national level.
Espigoladors is a nonprofit based in Catalonia with a pretty clear mission—reduce food waste, improve access to healthy food, and create employment opportunities for people who are being left behind by the regular job market. They recover fruits and vegetables that have been rejected for not looking right or left behind in fields after harvest. Through their brand Es Im-perfect®, some of that rescued produce is turned into jams, sauces, and other products that generate both social and environmental value.
One of their well-known projects is Barcelona Espigola, where volunteers and local organizations collect bitter oranges from trees in Barcelona’s public spaces that would otherwise rot on the ground. Those oranges are turned into a marmalade called La Marga and are given to people facing food insecurity. The 2025 edition was a real success, collecting more than 5,300 kilograms of bitter oranges while involving hundreds of people through awareness workshops along the way.
On the policy side, Spain has also been stepping things up. A 2025 law on the prevention of food loss and waste came into force in April 2026 and applies to food businesses of all kinds, including manufacturers, supermarkets, and restaurants. They are now required to develop food waste prevention plans, improve stock management, and give greater priority to food donations. The law establishes a clear order of preference—food for human consumption comes first, followed by animal feed, industrial uses, and only then composting or disposal. Restaurants must allow customers to take home leftovers without charging extra, while businesses are encouraged to sell imperfect produce and food approaching its expiration date at discounted prices. Organizations handling food donations must maintain proper records, and companies that fail to comply can face significant fines.
Espigoladors is far from alone in this kind of work. City Harvest in New York rescues surplus food for communities in need. OzHarvest in Australia redirects edible food from businesses to charities. Feedback’s Gleaning Network in the United Kingdom organizes volunteers to recover crops left on farms after harvest. Second Harvest in Canada connects excess food with nonprofits that can use it. What all of these efforts have in common is a simple but powerful idea—food waste isn’t something we just have to accept as part of modern life. It’s a problem that people can actually solve when they decide to work on it together.
