Food for London: Sadiq Khan’s call to Londoners ... 'Ask stores what they’re doing with surplus food'

The Mayor experiences the Felix effect first hand as he helps deliver food to St Mungo’s homeless charity. He tells David Cohen why he’s delighted to be backing our campaign
Helping hand: Sadiq Khan delivers food from a Felix van in Southwark with Anne Elkins and Chris Jones
Alex Lentati / Evening Standard

"Anyone for leeks?” shouted a familiar voice. “How about these delicious avocados?” It is not every day that the man delivering your groceries is the Mayor of London. But this was the scene in Southwark as Sadiq Khan emerged from the back of a Felix van with trays of fresh fruit and vegetables and began passing them to appreciative residents at St Mungo’s charity.

The bounty was impressive. There were apples, oranges, pineapples, asparagus, aubergines, peppers, courgettes, lettuce, spring onions, new potatoes, pasta and Danish pastries — all top-quality produce collected from local supermarkets.

Yet this was also “surplus food” about to breach its best-before date. Were it not for The Felix Project, it would have been tossed into bins and dispatched for anaerobic digestion. Instead, because of Felix, it would go to nourish humans, providing three days’ worth of cooked meals for the 51 residents of this refuge for homeless Londoners.

As the Mayor began to unload the van, assisted by St Mungo’s residents and Felix’s manager Anne Elkins, he told the Standard: “We live in one of the richest capitals in the world, yet people in our city are going hungry.

On board: Sadiq in the kitchen with Jordan
Alex Lentati / Evening Standard

“The beauty of The Felix Project is that it provides connectivity by making it easy for suppliers to donate surplus food to those most in need. If you are a supermarket branch manager, you’ve got understandable pressures on you and sometimes you don’t think about recycling so you just throw good food away. This campaign can help change their behaviour.”

Our Food for London campaign

What is the aim?
To redistribute surplus fresh food to tackle food poverty.

What are we doing?
We are backing the scale-up of our flagship charity — The Felix Project — which collects surplus produce from food suppliers and delivers it at no cost to a range of charities that provide meals or snacks for those in need, including the homeless, the elderly and those with mental health issues.

What is The Felix Project?
Founded by Evening Standard chairman Justin Byam Shaw and his wife Jane in memory of their son Felix, this start-up operates two vans from a  depot in Park Royal. Currently they have two full-time employees, 21 volunteers, collect food from 12  suppliers — including Waitrose,  Sainsbury’s, Booker, Makro, Daylesford and CostCo — and deliver to 23 charities.

The scale-up
They plan to roll out their operation across the city. Funds raised will be used to buy more vans, open new depots, employ staff and recruit volunteers.  

Funds raised
More than £700,000 so far from Citi, Sainsbury’s, an anonymous hedge-funder, the Evening Standard Dispossessed Fund and The Felix Byam Shaw Foundation (which has agreed to match-fund money raised  by our campaign for Felix with up to £750,000).

Sadiq paid tribute to the “inspirational” story behind Food for London’s flagship charity, The Felix Project, which was co-founded by Evening Standard chairman Justin Byam Shaw and his wife Jane after the death of their son Felix in 2014.

“It is so moving,” he said. “A 14-year- old boy, his life cut short by meningitis, with a passion for food and conservation. I am told he used to finish all the food on his plate and that he was known for his care for others. I was also raised to finish the food on my plate and to think about those less fortunate than myself.”

Nick, the St Mungo’s project manager, welcomed the Mayor and explained the significance of the Felix food drop. “We don’t have the budget to provide food, so we rely on occasional donations from Borough Market and Pret A Manger to prepare meals on an ad hoc basis,” he said. “If Felix can make us a weekly delivery, that means we can cook regular meals for our residents to help them through the week. It will mean they eat healthier and also that they eat together, addressing issues of friendship and loneliness.”

One resident helping Sadiq to carry in the groceries was Chris Jones, 29, who was living rough on the streets before getting a room at St Mungo’s. “I have been here four months,” he told the Mayor, tucking into a Danish pastry. “I had a stroke a few years ago and I suffer from anxiety and depression. This place has been a life saver.”

For fellow resident Jordan, 29, the designated sous-chef of the day, it was his chance to show the Mayor his favourite room. “When I lived with my grandmother before she fell ill with Alzheimer’s and before I became homeless, the kitchen was my best room in the house,” he said. He pointed to the stacks of food trays waiting to be unpacked into the fridge and added with gusto: “All this is making me really hungry, Mr Khan.”

How you can help The Felix Project

The Felix Project is looking for more:

Food suppliers including supermarkets and wholesalers to donate surplus food.

Charities which provide meals or snacks for those in need and could benefit from a free, regular supply of fresh food.

Volunteers to drive Felix vans, help with  food deliveries and collections, or work in the warehouse.

Email Daisy@TheFelix Project.org indicating in the subject line if you can help as a food supplier, charity or volunteer.

The Mayor laughed and insisted: “Call me Sadiq. I am only called Mr Khan when I am in trouble.” “Nice to meet you, Sadiq,” said Jordan, smiling. “The truth is I prefer eating to cooking, but I am happy to learn a new skill.”

He was handed an apron by John Mann, 51, the St Mungo’s staff member charged with supervising Jordan’s cooking. “I used to be a chef at the Sheraton Algarve where I cooked burgers for the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane,” said John.

He held up the leeks for inspection and squeezed the aubergines. “Wow, these are fresh! Come on Jordan, we can rustle up something delicious. I am thinking a leek and potato soup starter followed by a vegetarian pasta.” Did Sadiq believe the Government should enact legislation to compel supermarkets to donate their surplus food, as politicians did in France? “The key issue is to bring about a change in behaviour and for that we need a mix of carrots and sticks,” he said.

“Government could do more but we could all do more. I want to see more transparency on food waste from our food suppliers for a start.

“At City Hall, our caterers have cut waste by almost a quarter since May and we are putting £300,000 towards the fit-out of three new social supermarkets in Haringey, Enfield and Lambeth to open by the end of 2017. They will sell surplus food at drastically reduced prices to support 2,000 Londoners on low incomes and we will announce more on this in the months to come.”

He added: “I have three shout-outs for Londoners. I call on food outlets, rather than sending your surplus food to anaerobic digestion or landfill, be in touch with Felix and give it to charities that feed the poor. I call on citizens, ask the places where you buy your food, ‘What are you doing about your surplus food?’ And finally, if you know of charities that need free food, for goodness’ sake, let Felix know.

“Together we can cut food waste and beat food poverty in London. That is why it is such a pleasure for me to support this brilliant and innovative campaign.”

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