Foodbank Queensland, based at Colmslie in Brisbane's east, collects food for welfare agencies to distribute to poor and homeless people.

Foodbank's general manager, Ken McMillan said the company collects produce from farmers that they would either dump or feed to cattle. The food is perfectly edible but too big, too small or slightly marked and unacceptable for sale to major wholesalers or retailers.

"Farmers donate food and use the donations to offset their tax," he said. "Hungry people are fed so it's a win-win situation. Farmers hate wasting what they grow so our regulars love the service we offer."

But Mr McMillan said only about 20 of Queensland's 8000 primary producers were involved in the scheme. "With the economic downturn we are helping feed more and more people so we'd really like more producers to come on board," he said.

Kent West of West Farms at Kalbar, near Boonah gives about a semi-trailer load of carrots each week from June to January. "The carrots might get broken or bent when they're cleaned but otherwise there's nothing wrong with them," he said. "We mainly do it to help people who've fallen on bad times, but it's also a tax-offset for us. We can't be giving thousands of dollars to help people but we can help out this way."

He said he thought many producers did not know of the system but he was helping to spread the word.

Glenda and Russell Qualischefski of Qualipac vegetable growers at Gatton have been donating their onions, lettuce and broccoli for about two years.

"The system works really well for us," Mrs Qualischefski said. "We just ring up when we've got produce to be collected, then claim it on our tax. If Foodbank didn't take it, we'd just throw it out to the cattle."

Foodbank gives out about 40 tonnes of food a day and feeds 60,000 people a week. "About half of those we feed are children and half of those kids would be going to school without breakfast if it weren't for us," Mr McMillan said. "For a country like Australia I find that figure appalling."

The Queensland Farmers Federation and Growcom, representing Queensland fruit and vegetable producers declined to comment.

* Anyone interested in making donations of fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen foods, grocery items and cash can call (07) 3395 8422 or visit the Foodbank website.