A UK-wide food saving initiative hit a milestone last week, as the 200th Hubbub community fridge was installed in the Lancaster West estate in North Kensington, London.

The fridge is the 50th to be sponsored by the Co-op, whose support has helped fast-track the expansion of the food saving initiative.

Community fridges are social spaces where anyone can share surplus food. This initiative reduces waste and allows communities to help each other through cooking lessons and workshops on how to grow fruits and vegetables.

Hubbub is an environmental charity who set up their Community Fridge Network in July 2017. Across the network, each fridge redistributes an average of 2.4 tonnes of food per month, which is over 5,000 meals. The Lancaster West fridge has been set up with the support of Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team and Lancaster West Residents’ Association and is expected to support 1500 residents locally.

This initiative forms part of the #LancsWestGrowsBest project, which aims to reduce the amount that people spend on food and support more sustainable living.

The launch last Thursday involved cooking demonstrations from three chefs, where they offered families tips and guidance on how to reduce food waste, along with recipe cards and a chance to sample their dishes. Residents also brought along their own home-cooked food to share.

Hubbub, with the support of Kusuma Trust, have also given out Grow Your Own kits to residents to help them start growing their own food, and a community garden is being set up to allow people to grow their own vegetables and herbs on the estate. 

Kim Monte, the coordinator of the new Community Fridge, commented:

I am looking forward to the launch of the community fridge in the North Kensington Resource Centre. The community fridge will create a safe and welcoming space for residents to relax and share tips with each other, building stronger links within the Lancaster West Community

Abbas Dadou, Chair of the Lancaster West Residents’ Association, added:

We are glad that we can collaborate on a project that will help residents reduce food waste and provide a platform and training for residents to have a healthier diet by sharing their unwanted fruit and vegetables. It is also bringing jobs and opportunities to residents and giving residents a chance to connect with each other.

To learn more about Hubbub’s Community Fridge Network, click here.