City Harvest London is a

charitable organisation A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

focused on alleviating

food insecurity Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...

and

food waste Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...

across

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. City Harvest feeds over 12,000 Londoners a day with quality, nutritious, surplus food from a myriad of food producers. City Harvest delivers food to over 350 organisations and projects in London that serve almost every vulnerable group in the capital including but not limited to; children, refugees, families, women facing

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

, the

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

. Food often acts as a tool that breaks down barriers between organisations and their users and becomes a gateway to services which address other societal issues.

History

City Harvest is London's first last-mile food rescue organisation, founded in 2014 after operating for 4 years a
UR4Driving
project which was run by Mark Harvey and Bruce Marquart. A group of individuals, including Laura Winningham OBE (CEO), began the organisation to address high levels of unused, but perfectly edible, food surplus that was being wasted by food businesses across London. The model was originally based on other international food rescue organisations, but was quickly adapted to suit the London city-scape. In London, an estimated amount of 13.3 million meals is wasted whilst at the same time 9.2 million meals are missed by people living in food poverty. Since its founding, City Harvest has delivered over 20,000,000 meals worth of food to Londoners in need from its depot in Acton, West London.

Goals

The goal of City Harvest London is to put surplus food to use in a sustainable way by distributing it to over 350+ organisations around London that feed the hungry. Using a fleet of refrigerated vans, City Harvest collects in-date surplus food from supermarkets, restaurants, manufacturers, caterers (including those running at exhibition centres such as

Kensington Olympia Kensington (Olympia) is a combined rail and tube station in Kensington, on the edge of Central London. Services are provided by London Overground, who manage the station, along with Southern and London Underground. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. ...

), and other food businesses, and distributes it to community programmes in their network. The charity claims to provide a solution to

hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

, and

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and lar ...

and is data-driven to constantly improve and evolve the growing operation. The charity provides fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, poultry, and other products to organisations and projects across London, serving free meals to vulnerable individuals. Some of the organisations they work with include FoodCycle, The American Church Soup Kitchen,

St Mary The Boltons St Mary The Boltons is an Anglican church in The Boltons, Brompton, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History The Boltons, a street in Brompton, was farmland until the middle of the 19th century. As part of westward expansion of Lo ...

and

St Andrew Holborn __NOTOC__ St Andrew Holborn was an ancient English parish that until 1767 was partly in the City of London and mainly in the county of Middlesex. Its City, thus southern, part retained its former name or was sometimes officially referred to as ...

, among 350 others. Generally, many of the partnered charitable organisations will be multifunctional, not only offering free meals or food parcels with City Harvest surplus, but a whole host of services including; support and consultation, alcoholism and addiction rehabilitation, pro-bono legal advice, activities and clubs for children, respite for carers, emergency response for domestic violence, refuge for homeless, youth workshops, probation services, to name only a few. City Harvest also works to create research on the scope of food poverty and food waste in London, statistics which are not yet tracked on a governmental level. Through their research, City Harvest has calculated that 9 million meals are needed per month to alleviate food insecurity in London. City Harvest is a founding member of Xcess: The Independent Food Redistribution Network, made up of a group of likeminded organisations who sustainably repurpose surplus food in the UK to alleviate food poverty. This taskforce was established to ''harness the power of surplus food'' and to develop an innovative food redistribution model that seeks sustainable solutions to contemporary issues of food waste and insecurity.

Achievements

City Harvest London’s operation to feed vulnerable community members, reduce and repurpose food waste and combat climate change, among other key goals, currently meets 9 of the

UN Sustainable Development Goals The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future".United Nations (2017) R ...

. In April 2018, the organisation delivered its two millionth recycled meal. By March 2019, it had served 5 million meals, and prevented 6,200 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. May 2021 saw City Harvest's 7th Anniversary and the biggest milestone yet: 20 million meals delivered to date Laura Winningham OBE (CEO) was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List 2020 ''for services to the community in London during the Covid-19''. The work of City Harvest London was recognised as an outstanding emergency response to food waste and poverty before, during, and beyond, COVID-19.

In the Media

The Macallan, Javi Aznarez & City Harvest

In October 2020,

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

auctioned The Macallan Red Collection, an extremely rare set with unique labels designed by graphic artist Javi Aznarez. The Red Collection comprises Macallan's ''oldest ongoing aged expressions ..and oldest bottlings the brand has ever released''. The labels feature illustrations of Macallan greats: Alexander Reid, Roderick Kemp and Allan Shiach. The lot was sold at Sotheby's on Halloween for £756,400 with all proceeds going to City Harvest. In City Harvest terms, this equates to 2.5 million meals.

''Distil your World: London Edition,'' The Macallan, Amazon Prime, Roca Brothers & City Harvest

City Harvest prides itself as being part of the fabric of London, as demonstrated in The Macallan series: Distil Your World. Distil your world was part of a 'sensorial journey through one of the world's greatest capital cities'. The Amazon Prime documentary follows the Macallan Whisky Maker, Steven Bremner, and the Roca brothers, as they explore the city from different perspectives including food, culture, innovation, and community spirit. The documentary benefit City Harvest London through its online promotion via Good-Loop, a media vendor that enables brands to support charities through their advertising campaigns.

''Regeneration: Food'' with Max La Manna, BBC Earth

BBC Earth Regeneration: Food Series 1: Episode 5 entitled Waste''' features an interview with City Harvest CEO, Laura Winningham, as part of sustainability advocate and author La Manna's mini-series on food sustainability. In this episode, La Manna explores the reality of food waste in the UK, and how it is mitigated through sustainable solutions that City Harvest offers, as well as the likes of SILO and Too Good to Go.

References

External links

*
City Harvest has a simple mission

Redistribution groups launch new national body to fight hunger and food waste

Grocery heroes honoured by the Queen in this year’s birthday listDistil you World: London (Macallan x City Harvest x Roca Brothers)
{{DEFAULTSORT:City Harvest London Charities based in London