Idea of the Week: Brixton Opens Up ‘The People’s Fridge’ for Donating Unwanted Food

It’s hard to believe that this idea hasn’t taken off sooner. Of course, London’s new People’s Fridge isn’t the first of its kind. A Somerset town has a similar system, while Spain, France and Germany have had fridges for years. London’s taken a while to catch up, but finally Brixton is home to our first communal food fridge.

The idea is simple: unwanted or unused food can be donated, ready for those who may need it. Donors can be food businesses or members of the public. They simply write the details of what they’re donating into a book and sign. There are naturally some rules. Only registered traders can donate pre prepped/cooked food, and there’s a blanket ban on raw fish and meat or opened milk. Basically, unopened food and or produce are good to quite literally go.

The crowdfunded fridge is unmanned, prompting images of god knows what being put in and taken out. We hope that those taking food are in actual need rather than simply unwilling to foot a kebab bill after a night out. Pop Brixton businesses keep watch and check the fridge twice a day. The similar Somerset fridge has a 5* hygiene and safety rating, which is what Brixton is aiming for. I don’t have total faith that Londoners will act in the same manner as rural townsfolk, but fingers crossed.

The People’s Fridge really has been a long time coming. We’ve been talking about the issue of food disposal for years, with reports from 1998 about supermarket food donation, through 2010 sandwich runs and on. Recently there were talks under Boris about whether free food donation actually enables rough sleepers to remain homeless longer. Personally I’m of the opinion there are enough negatives to being homeless that discourage resting on laurels, without unnecessary starvation added in.

It’s not necessarily just homeless people this may help. There are plenty living on and below the poverty line, whose access to fresh produce and healthier foods. Simple things, like children on their way to school can pick up fruit for breakfast, make a big change. It also benefits everyone else to not just discard food, since food wastage is extraordinary.

The restaurant sector is the worst offender, due to it’s set portions and strict standards. Residents aren’t much better however. We sent 7.3 million tonnes of food to landfill in 2015, a 4.4% rise since 2012. In Lambeth, estimates say each person wastes £9 of food every week. With so many on a salary under the London living wage, it’s a disgraceful figure. Hope comes in the form of the fridge, sit and we look forward to seeing the hard work pay off. Who knows, maybe you’ll be seeing a fridge near you soon enough.

 

 

 

 

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