International Food & Drink Event 2022 Partners with City Harvest to Rescue Food, People & Planet
City Harvest’s team was hard to miss at this year’s International Food & Drink Event (IFE) ExCel, as Montgomery’s official charity partner.
We live for any chance to meet new food companies and discuss ways to help reduce waste. Our long-standing partnership with Montgomery Group came naturally as we share the same passion for positive change and social impact.
City Harvest is known for its big heart, likewise, Montgomery’s managing director, Damion Angus, and his team are first in line to roll up their sleeves and volunteer in our Acton depot or jump on a van to help us feed London.
The food industry will always generate surplus and Montgomery recognises it is a process of education and partnering with like-minded organisations that makes it easier for companies to consciously choose to do the right thing.
City Harvest’s food rescue operation now collects surplus from across the UK, and our current Harvest for Hunger campaign, is focused on farms, giving perfectly edible produce another life.
At present we rescue and distribute free nutrious food for over 1 milion meals a month, from 2 London depots, with a fleet of 18 refrigerated vans.
With the cost of living crisis upon us, we know demand will only increase. We are doing everything we can to make sure we can help as many people who will be unable to afford to feed their families.
Thank you, IFE!
The IFE and London Produce Show events spanned 3 days, resulting in over 30 pallets of top-quality surplus food from UK-based and international food companies doing their bit for people and planet. This volume of surplus equates to around 13 tonnes of food rescued – enough for over 30,000 meals for those facing food poverty throughout our community of 350+ London charities.
1 out of 30 pallets from the IFE event is unloaded by Operations Manager, Harry, at our Acton depot.
Some of our refrigerated fleet collected an amazing variety of produce, from luxury seafood to frozen meat alternative products!
Philippa Christer, IFE Event Director,
“Tasting food and drink products is a vital part of what makes IFE so valuable to our visitors and buyers. Our on-going partnership with City Harvest has been an amazing way to minimise the amount of food waste generated and to ensure that any leftover products go where they can do the most good. We look forward to continuing partnership in the years to come.”
Graze, B-corp surplus partner
“At graze we’ve always lived the B Corp values of putting people and planet first. Working with City Harvest helps us ensure that the snacks that don’t make it onto the supermarket shelves end up in the hands of the people that need them most, rather than the bin – which benefits the community and reduces food waste.”
Our charity partners, especially those who cater for children, are delighted to offer healthy snacks and exciting brands they otherwise can’t access.
“Everybody benefits from City Harvest food, they get so excited to see what they’ll receive week in, week out. They love the treats as well, like the Graze snacks we get”
– Hounslow PHAB, City Harvest surplus food recipient
G’s Fresh, farm partner
City Harvest’s Harvest for Hunger campaign aims to connect with more UK farms and growers to ensure access to fresh produce all year round for our charity recipients. G’s Fresh, Cambridgeshire, is one of the UK’s largest growers, with its produce in most major retailers.
From left to right: Ben, City Harvest Food Sourcing manager, Adam, Commercial Manager at G’s Growers, and Po, City Harvest Food Sourcing manager.
“G’s look forward to working with City Harvest to support the further redistribution of surplus healthy and nutritious fresh produce to those in need. As part of our ESG strategy, G’s are committed to not only reducing our overall food waste, but also proactively ensuring a larger proportion of our surplus ends up in ‘value add‘ destinations such as charities like City Harvest where they tackle surplus food and food poverty in a positive and sustainable way”
– Guy Shropshire, Chief Executive, G’s Fresh
Young Foodies Ltd & Mighty Small, consultancy & food surplus partner
Like-minded food business consultancy, Young Foodies, and sister online retailer, Mighty Small, are paving the way for innovation and sustainability within the UK FMCG industry. Young Foodies & Mighty Small, working with a network of UK challenger brands including City Harvest surplus partners like Indie Bay Snacks, Holy Moly Dips, and Crosta & Mollica, have helped create a channel for young food companies to donate their surplus sustainably.
From left to right: Jim, Young Foodies, Po, City Harvest Food Sourcing Manager, Alex, Young Foodies
“Food waste is one of the world’s most valuable problems to solve. A complex chain requiring efforts from many parties, I’m passionate about incentives and structures to minimise waste and efficiently redistribute surplus – it makes business sense as well as delivering great social benefit.”
– Giles Moody, Chief Strategy Officer at Young Foodies and member of City Harvest’s Food Council
Moving Mountains
City Harvest’s Po & Ben with Moving Mountains’ team.
“The opportunity to prevent food waste, whilst also helping those across London who are most in need, made partnering with City Harvest an obvious decision. We jumped at the chance to give back to our own West London community and we hope to continue working with City Harvest in the future to support a cause that resonates so strongly with our own mission and values.”
– Simon Van der Molen, Founder, Moving Mountains
KIND Snacks
KIND Snacks has been a generous surplus donor since the partnership began in 2021. It’s LIVE KIND campaign in late 2021 saw thousands of KIND bars donated to our London warehouses to go to those most in need. Reacting to crisis, KIND more recently gave extra stock to ship to Ukraine, via City Harvest’s distribution partner Oakland International, to support displaced civilians affected by the war.
City Harvest’s Head of Food, Dan, and Head of Fundraising, Lindsey, packing up surplus at the end of IFE.
Thank you, Montgomery, IFE, and all of the wonderful food companies that keep our vans rolling and London fed.
