North London Food & Culture

Solving the UK’s food waste problem, one move at a time

Ben Tyrrell of fast-rising Kentish Town-based digital business MVF Global explains how they ended up helping redirect vital food to homeless youngsters

Saved from landfill: food left by people moving abroad
Saved from landfill: food left by people moving abroad
Last week here at MVF’s MoveHub, we launched a new charity initiative which will supply much needed food to local charities and food banks, called FoodHub.

Having worked in the removals industry for several years, food waste is something I see all the time.

Not only are tins heavy and cumbersome to transport, but people moving abroad usually are not allowed to take food with them, and as a result we are routinely asked to bin the contents of the cupboard before a move.

On the other end of the spectrum, reports this month suggest up to four million people in the UK could be at risk of food poverty. It therefore seemed like a simple solution to allow people who are moving to donate any unwanted food to us, and we could then deliver this to local facilities who can put it to good use; doing our little bit to help.


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MVF team and Camden's mayor at the Foodhub launch
MVF team and Camden’s mayor at the Foodhub launch

Centrepoint help young homeless people, many of them the same age as our staff, so it seemed the natural charity to partner with. Hearing how some of the young people they help have existed on just one meal a day highlights the importance of these facilities, and shows how valuable FoodHub’s contributions could be.

Though it may seem like a small issue, we calculated that the food thrown away during moves across the UK could fill 160 supermarket delivery vans each week, or 17 Olympic swimming pools a year, so FoodHub could provide a good supply of food to those who really need it.

As MoveHub helps over 25,000 people move abroad every month, we have the opportunity to make a real impact and we have already collected more than ten boxers in just a couple of weeks. Though we may not be able to solve Britain’s food crisis, FoodHub is a small contribution to national emergency, and hopefully our actions can inspire others to act too.

For more information, visit movehub.com

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