All items · Food & drink
Food
Also covers: tins, perishable food, sweets, chocolates
Can you donate food to a UK charity shop? Usually not.
The short answer
Almost all say no
Of the 153 UK charities we track, 47 say no and 1 may accept in some cases. 1 of those is a category-wide rule rather than a direct mention.
Evidence last verified
Why shops may refuse it
Food hygiene and date rules mean shops can't resell food.
What to do instead
Food banks take unopened, in-date, non-perishable food from their current wanted list. Unopened luxury food that is in date, such as a box of chocolates, may also suit a charity raffle or tombola — ask the organiser first.
Charity by charity
48 mentions-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods such as food and drink”
- Can't accept
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods (incl. all food and drink)”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food items”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Foods”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food or drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Consumables, food, alcohol”
-
Can't accept
Statement also covers drink generally; see categoryExclusions for the whole-category refusal.
Their wording
“Food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food items”
-
Can't accept
Covers perishable food and drink.
Their wording
“Perishable goods (food and drink)”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“food or drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food or drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food or drink, toxic or hazardous substances such as cleaning products, tobacco and alcohol”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Foodstuffs”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drinks”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Consumables including alcohol, cigarettes, drugs or foodstuffs”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Foodstuffs (legal reasons). A Foods Standards Agency licence is needed.”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“food items”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“food”
-
Can't accept
Donors are redirected to local food banks.
Their wording
“Non-perishable food: Your local food bank will welcome unopened, in-date items.”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food or alcohol”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Thank you for thinking of us. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept this item for health and safety reasons. We can’t guarantee to our customers that second-hand safety equipment is still fully protective or hasn’t been damaged before.”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Foodstuffs”
-
Can't accept
St Clare Hospice category-wide rule
Blanket refusal covering the whole Food & drink category.
Their wording
“Food or drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food, and drink (including alcohol)”
-
Can't accept
Perishable food specifically.
Their wording
“Medicines, vitamins, perishable food or drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drinks”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable goods, food and drink”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Perishable items”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food and drinks (even if unopened)”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Food or perishables”
-
Can't accept
Their wording
“Foodstuffs of any description.”
- Check first
Not mentioned in 105 charities' guidance
Absence from a charity's list doesn't mean they accept it — it just isn't singled out. Ask your local shop.
- Accord Hospice
- Acorns Children's Hospice
- Age UK
- Ardgowan Hospice
- Ashgate Hospicecare
- Ayrshire Hospice
- Barnardo's
- Barnsley Hospice
- Blythe House Hospice
- Bolton Hospice
- Butterfly Hospice Trust
- Butterwick Hospice
- Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS)
- Cransley Hospice Trust
- Crisis
- Derian House Children's Hospice
- Dogs Trust
- Douglas Macmillan Hospice
- Dr Kershaw's Hospice
- East Lancashire Hospice
- Eden Valley Hospice and Jigsaw, Cumbria's Children's Hospice
- Emmaus
- FARA Charity Shops
- Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity
- Garden House Hospice Care
- Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice
- Helen & Douglas House
- Highland Hospice
- Hope House & Ty Gobaith Children's Hospices
- Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland
- Hospice in the Weald
- Hospice Isle of Man
- Hospice of the Good Shepherd
- Hospice of the Valleys
- Katharine House Hospice (Stafford)
- Katharine House Hospice, Banbury
- Lewis-Manning Hospice Care
- LOROS Hospice
- Marie Curie
- Martin House Children's Hospice
- Moya Cole Hospice
- Naomi House & Jack's Place
- Nightingale House Hospice
- North Devon Hospice
- North London Hospice
- Nottinghamshire Hospice
- Octavia Foundation
- Oxfam
- PDSA
- Pendleside Hospice
- Phyllis Tuckwell
- Pilgrims Hospices
- Primrose Hospice
- Prospect Hospice
- Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People
- Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care
- Rotherham Hospice
- Royal Trinity Hospice (London)
- Saint Francis Hospice
- Scope
- Sense Scotland
- Severn Hospice
- Springhill Hospice
- St Catherine's Hospice (Lancashire)
- St Christopher's Hospice
- St Columba's Hospice
- St Cuthbert's Hospice
- St David's Hospice Care
- St Giles Hospice
- St Helena Hospice
- St John's Hospice (Lancaster, Morecambe, Kendal & Garstang)
- St John's Hospice (London)
- St Luke's Cheshire Hospice
- St Luke's Hospice (Harrow & Brent)
- St Luke's Hospice Basildon & Thurrock
- St Luke's Hospice Plymouth
- St Margaret's Hospice Care (Somerset)
- St Michael's Hospice (North Hampshire)
- St Nicholas Hospice Care
- St Peter & St James Hospice
- St Raphael's Hospice
- St Richard's Hospice
- St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP)
- St Vincent's Hospice
- St Wilfrid's Hospice
- Strathcarron Hospice
- Sue Ryder
- The Children's Trust
- The Kirkwood
- The Myton Hospices
- The Prince of Wales Hospice
- The Shakespeare Hospice
- Traid
- Treetops Hospice Trust
- Wakefield Hospice
- Weldmar Hospicecare
- Willen Hospice
- Willow Burn Hospice
- Willow Wood Hospice
- Willowbrook Hospice
- Wirral Hospice St John's
- Wisdom Hospice
- Woking & Sam Beare Hospices
- Woodgreen Pets Charity
- YMCA (England & Wales)