To coincide with International Awareness Day of Food Loss and Waste, Swedish-born grocery retailer Motatos partnered with food media platform Mob to launch the Bring Your Own Food pop up.
The pop up took place in BOXPARK, Shoreditch on Thursday and was open to the general public, serving freshly made meals cooked by Mob using Motatos products. The public were encouraged to bring a store cupboard item in exchange for a free meal to fight food waste. All food was donated to the Hackney Foodbank, part of The Trussell Trust network. Motatos is matching every donation made.
Motatos is an online supermarket that sells well-known products that would otherwise risk ending up in landfill due to changes in packaging, seasonal changes or short best before dates. The UK alone produces an average of 9.5 million tonnes of food waste each year.
Motatos Founder, Karl Andersson said: “This is our first on the ground activation in the UK since launching in April this year - and it’s incredible to work with a well respected brand such as Mob, and in support of Hackney Foodbank to tackle food waste and fight food poverty all while serving up delicious meals. With so much happening in the world, it’s hard for consumers to know how to do the right thing, shop in the right way and save our planet alongside everything else. Motatos aims to support that need and make it easier for people and wholesalers to be sustainable, save on price, and save 10.5kg carbon emissions on average per shop.
“Importantly for us, this activation is the first step on a longer initiative to look at the bigger picture surrounding food waste - both from a sustainability angle, but a people angle too. We are committed to tackling food poverty, and whilst we can support the immediate need to provide donations to local food banks this winter, such as Hackney Foodbank, we’re also eager to look at how we can fight for systematic change to create a more accessible food system in the UK.
“We really hope people walk away from this event feeling empowered to keep fighting against food waste as it’s such an important global issue that is an increasing threat to the planet and to our people.”
Pat Fitzsimons at Hackney Foodbank, said: “Over the last 10 years we’ve seen our distribution increase from around 60,000 parcels a year to 2.5 million. Food banks are no longer a means to an end, but a critical part of thousands of families lives throughout the UK. And with the cost of living crisis and winter around the corner this is set to be our toughest year yet. By partnering with Motatos on this pop-up, we’re aiming to spread a wider message around food waste, both to show the simplicity of giving, but also the importance of tackling inequalities within food to create a better system where food is more affordable, and accessible - something that Motatos wholly aligns with.”
