The pop-up helped raise awareness for food waste and food poverty in the UK.
As part of yesterday’s International Awareness Day of Food Loss and Waste, Swedish-born grocery retailer Motatos partnered with the nation’s favourite food platform, Mob, to launch the Bring Your Own Food pop up. And it’s safe to say BYOF was a resounding success.
The pop up took place at Shoreditch BOXPARK and was open to the general public, serving freshly made meals cooked by Mob using Motatos products. We asked you to bring store cupboard items in exchange for a free meal to fight food waste. And with over 3 boxes worth of items, plus over £500 in cash donations – you didn’t disappoint!
All food was donated to the Hackney Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust network, with Motatos themselves matching every donation made.
As well as the incredible acts of kindness from the public, Mob were able to hand out over 200 free meals, plus 250 goodies bags to the lucky few that made it down to BOXPARK early.
The motivation behind the campaign was very simple. The UK alone produces an average of 9.5 million tonnes of food waste each year. So whilst the government has committed to halving the UK’s per capita waste by 2030, participation in the programme is only voluntary for grocery businesses.
It’s clear more needs to be done, which is why Motatos knew they had to get involved.
What Motatos had to say
Here’s what founder, Karl Andersson had to say: “This is our first on the ground activation in the UK since launching in April this year. 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.”
“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.”
The first, but definitely not the last event
By supporting Hackney Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust network, Motatos aim to help to tackle poverty and hunger as we approach the winter months. By asking for a simple donation from the public, Motatos hoped to show the impact a small action can have on bigger issues.
And with such positive turnout, as well as some brilliant overall results – don’t be surprised if this isn’t the last campaign of this kind from Motatos. Watch this space.
