Embargoed for publication until 00.01 Monday 15th June
E-ASY RIDERS DELIVER SURPLUS FOOD TO VULNERABLE HOUSEHOLDS FOOD CONNECT LAUNCHES USING LOW-CARBON TRANSPORT Environmental charity Hubbub launches the pilot of Food Connect today. The initiative will use fleets of electric bikes and vans to redistribute surplus food from retailers, helping to tackle increased food insecurity. Recent research1 from the charity found that nearly 1 in 5 people in the UK are concerned about access to free food during lockdown, such as that from food banks and community fridges. Community fridges in Milton Keynes have been delivering food packs since the beginning of lockdown to those who are struggling to access food due to low incomes or travel restrictions, in partnership with FareShare, local NGOs and councils. The team has now been awarded a fleet of e-bikes and an electric van thanks to funding from CAF Venturesome and The National Lottery Community Fund, and Milton Keynes Council through the eCargo Bike Grant Fund3, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered by Energy Saving Trust. They will be used to distribute fresh food that would have otherwise gone to waste to vulnerable households across the town. Using more environmentally-friendly transport to deliver the food supports the public’s desire to reduce air pollution. Research2 released recently by Hubbub found that 62% of Brits have noticed cleaner air as a result of lockdown and they would like to see this continue long-term. Electric vehicles were also found to be one of the most popular forms of transport for government investment. The Wolverton Community Fridge in Milton Keynes was one of the first to open in the UK in 2017 and an original member of Hubbub’s Community Fridge Network of community fridges across the UK. Whilst community fridges are open to everyone and have become hubs for sharing food education, skills, knowledge and goods, they have had to adapt to the challenges of Covid-19 and socialdistancing. Many have now temporarily switched to new operations, including delivering surplus food to the doors of the most vulnerable households in their area. Following the pilot, Hubbub’s ambition is to roll out Food Connect to other parts of country, connecting community fridges and local retailers. Businesses and organisations interested in supporting and collaborating in the next phase should visit www.foodconnect.io Kanahaya Alam, Community Fridge Network Manager at Hubbub said: “We know from our recent State of the Nation’s Plate report that a significant number of people are concerned about accessing free food during lockdown. Yet millions of pounds worth of food is wasted every year in the UK. Community fridges already play an important part in tackling this, and our ambition is that Food Connect will help retailers distribute surplus food straight to those who need it, whilst supporting the need for cleaner air.”
Helen Innes, Project Co-ordinator for Food Connect said: “We’re pleased to be part of this effort during the pandemic to reach some of our most vulnerable residents in Milton Keynes. Even before Covid-19, getting surplus food that final mile to the community fridge was a challenge, so this fleet will have a huge impact through lockdown and beyond as we begin to reopen to the wider community.” Richard Kennell, CEO of education charity SOFEA, which operates FareShare South Midlands, said: “Demand for FareShare’s service has skyrocketed since the coronavirus outbreak, and we’re now working tirelessly to significantly increase the amount of food we deliver each week, ensuring surplus food gets to those who need it most. Our partnership with Hubbub, the Community Fridge Network and Milton Keynes Council therefore comes at a critical time as we work together through the crisis to fight hunger and food waste whilst minimising our environmental impact.” Cllr Jenny Marklew, Cabinet Member for Sustainability at Milton Keynes Council, said: “We are committed to new and innovative ways to contribute towards our ambition of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. E-cargo bikes are such a fantastic way to help us achieve this, meaning the council staff, social enterprises and local businesses are all able to play a part in reducing our impact on the environment.” Holger Westphely, Acting Head of CAF Venturesome, said: “We have been supporting the growth of Hubbub with social investment for the past five years and are delighted that the previous loans have been fully repaid as a result of that growth and their success. So when they applied for a new social investment loan for Food Connect we were only too happy to support it. We are very impressed by their response to the Covid-19 crisis, developing an eco-friendly solution delivering vital supplies to vulnerable people, whilst reducing food waste. Hubbub continue to deliver projects with a high social impact and we look forward to working with them for many years.” Tim Anderson, Head of Transport at Energy Saving Trust, said: “The Department for Transport eCargo Bike Grant Fund attracted a significant number of applications. The 18 local authorities who have successfully secured funding will purchase a total of 273 ecargo bikes and nine ecargo bike trailers, enabling more businesses to benefit from access. eCargo bikes are an attractive low carbon transport solution which offer important benefits, most impressively fuel cost savings and contributing to improved local air quality. Last mile delivery is an important area for consideration in our journey to reduce transport emissions to net zero by 2050.”
*ENDS* For more information contact Hubbub
NOTES TO EDITORS 1. State of the Nation’s Plate report 2. The eligibility criteria and code of practice for the eCargo Bike Grant Fund are available at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/transport/ecargo-bike-grant-fund 3. How will COVID-19 change UK travel habits?
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY FRIDGE NETWORK The Community Fridge Network was set up in 2017 by Hubbub and is supported by The National Lottery Community Fund and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, with fridges and freezers donated by Liebherr. The network provides a free support service for any group setting up or running a Community Fridge. It aims to make it easier for new projects to become established, and to help the concept flourish across the UK and beyond. Members of the CFN: • Are legally registered and have public liability insurance. • Register their fridge as a Food Business and receive a hygiene rating. • Risk assess and demonstrate that their health and safety procedures have the approval of their local Environmental Health Officer. • Agree to capture and report back on impact every 3 months, using the simple measurement framework provided by Hubbub.
ABOUT HUBBUB Hubbub is an award-winning charity that inspires ways of living that are good for the environment. Hubbub designs campaigns that make environmental action desirable; disrupting the status quo to raise awareness, nudge behaviours and share systems. Hubbub have transformed the approach people take towards communicating environmental issues and since 2014 they have built collaborations with over 700 organisations, from international businesses to local authorities and community groups. This includes bringing together all the major coffee cup retailers to collect and recycle 5 million coffee cups in 1 year, and 26 businesses to improve recycling on-the-go in Leeds. Hubbub designed IKEA’s ‘Live LAGOM’, the world’s biggest consumer sustainable behaviour change campaign and created Mothercare’s ‘Gift A Bundle’ campaign, redistributing good quality outgrown baby clothing. Hubbub also runs campaigns to reduce food waste, tackle litter and promote sustainable fashion. https://www.hubbub.org.uk/ Twitter: @hubbubuk Facebook: @HubbubUK Instagram: @helloHubbub LinkedIn: Hubbub-UK
A B O U T FA R E S H A R E S O U T H M I D L A N D S FareShare South Midlands, operated in partnership with SOFEA, is part of the UK-wide FareShare network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 17 independent organisations. Last year the charity saved over 61 tonnes of good surplus food from right across the food supply chain and redistribute it to 39 charities and community groups. These charities provide meals as part of their
services to people in need – such as children’s breakfast clubs, day clubs for older people, domestic violence refuges, homeless shelters and drug and alcohol rehab units. In 2019/20 we provided enough food for over 145,401 meals.