The UK’s two largest food redistribution charities are merging to tackle the scale of food waste and food insecurity at a time of urgent need. Each year, the UK wastes 10.7 million tonnes of food, while 14% of UK households live with food insecurity. With demand rising and eight in ten charities fearing they cannot keep up, combining forces now will support rescuing more food, cutting more waste and reaching more people.
FareShare and The Felix Project are uniting to form a bigger and more ambitious organisation with greater national impact. By combining FareShare’s 30 years of nationwide reach and strategic partnerships with Felix’s innovation and London expertise, they will be able to pool resources, create more collaborative and efficient ways of working and be part of a stronger, joined-up solution to tackling food waste across the UK.
The merger will also give the two charities a stronger voice when it comes to campaigning and influencing national policy on food waste and food insecurity. This was demonstrated by the success of their award-winning joint campaign for a national £15m fund to tackle food surplus on farms.
Through its 17 independent regional partners, including The Felix Project in London, FareShare works with the food industry to rescue good-to-eat surplus food and get it to over 8,000 charities nationwide. In 2024/25, this network helped provide the equivalent of 148m meals.
Founded over 30 years ago, FareShare has grown into the UK’s leading national food redistribution charity. Working hand in hand with thousands of local charities and volunteers, FareShare has shown how surplus food can be turned into a force for good, strengthening communities, reducing isolation and improving wellbeing. Independent research shows that for every £1 donated, FareShare and its partners create £13 of social and economic value.
The Felix Project was started in 2016 by Justin and Jane Byam Shaw in memory of their son Felix. It has four depots in North, South, East and West London, which currently support around 1,200 community organisations. It also operates Felix’s Kitchen, which uses surplus food to cook around 5,000 nutritious meals every day. It has been working with FareShare as its London delivery partner since 2020.
FareShare’s network, including The Felix Project, helps get good food to over a million people every year via these community organisations, but this is barely scratching the surface when it comes to the need. Demand is rising, and 8 in 10 of the charities they support fear they cannot keep up. This merger will help unlock more food, cut food waste and strengthen communities when they need it most.
The new charity will adopt the Felix name, with a refreshed brand identity introduced gradually as part of a phased transition, including a period of dual branding.
Charlotte Hill OBE (pictured left, with Kris Gibbon-Walsh), who has led The Felix Project to significant growth over the last three years, will be Chief Executive of the new organisation. She said: “Our vision is a nation where no good food is wasted and nobody goes hungry. Bringing together brilliant colleagues, volunteers and partners from both organisations gives us an unprecedented opportunity to scale up food provision for the UK’s most vulnerable communities.”
Kris Gibbon-Walsh, currently the CEO of FareShare, will bring his extensive experience in the food industry to his new role as Deputy Chief Executive. Having started as a volunteer over a decade ago, he has since led major innovations, including the launch of FareShare Go, championed the redistribution of surplus food from farms, and overseen a period of record-breaking growth. He said: “This merger will enable us do so much more to tackle food waste at source, whilst we continue to support our brilliant independent network partners through increased food volumes, funding and operational support. We will also build on FareShare’s 30-year legacy of connecting good food with communities nationwide.”
Dominic Blakemore, the current Chair of FareShare and CEO of Compass Group, who will Chair the new Board of Trustees, added: “This merger exemplifies how two values-driven organisations can come together to increase their collective impact. By uniting FareShare’s 30-year history of strategic partnerships and advocacy work with Felix’s reputation for operational excellence, we can build something greater than the sum of the parts.”
Gavin Darby, the current Chair of Felix and former President of the Food and Drink Federation, as well as CEO of Premier Foods, will become the Vice-Chair of the new Board of Trustees.
Reactions from across the industry
Leaders from across the food industry and charity sector welcomed the announcement.
Dame Martina Milburn (DCVO CBE, Executive Chair, Coronation Food Project), said: “The Coronation Food Project has worked closely with both FareShare and The Felix Project over the past two years. Both charities already collaborate to ensure surplus food reaches communities in need. I am excited to see what more they can achieve as a united organisation. This is very welcome news.”
Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s and Chair of IGD, said: “At Sainsbury’s, we’ve worked closely with both FareShare and The Felix Project for many years, and their merger marks an important milestone in the fight against food waste and hunger. By coming together, they’re creating a stronger, more united organisation, one that offers the food industry a clear route to long-term impact and collaboration. This is about more than streamlining processes; it’s about building enduring partnerships that help us do the right thing, not just for today’s communities but for generations to come. We’re proud to support their vision and look forward to deepening our work together.”
Christine Heffernan, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer at Tesco, said: "We are delighted that two of our partners are joining forces to increase food redistribution capability and deliver even greater social impact. At a time when food is still wasted across the supply chain and communities have a great need for food, this is something that Tesco are proud to support and will help reach even more people."
Sarah Bradbury, CEO of the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD): “We are delighted to see The Felix Project and FareShare unite as a single food redistribution charity. This collaboration will make it simpler and more efficient to donate surplus food across the UK. At IGD, reducing food waste is a core priority through our Alliance Food Sourcing programme partnership. This union marks a significant step forward in strengthening the food system and ensuring more good food reaches the people who need it most.”