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Bosch eBike Systems has collaborated with Food Connect to help redistribute surplus food throughout lockdown and beyond.
Food Connect is a food redistribution initiative, first active in Milton Keynes, that was founded by London-based charity Hubbub in June 2020. With the help of a mini-fleet of Bosch-powered e-cargo bikes, including an Urban Arrow Cargo XL and a Tern GSD with a large trailer, and financial support from Bosch eBike Systems, the programme shares food with the local community that would have otherwise gone to waste.
During the national lockdown in the summer, Food Connect delivered more than 2,000 food parcels to vulnerable households and those who were self-isolating, diverted more than 21 tonnes of food from waste and saved over 1,700 food miles in 16 weeks.
It will continue to collect and redistribute food using electric-powered transport throughout the Christmas period, with additional collections scheduled up until Christmas Eve to provide surplus food to organisations such as Keeping Kids off the Streets and Together at Christmas. Food Connect will continue to run as a pilot until February, when the service will be reviewed for potential expansion across numerous UK locations.
“Bosch eBike Systems’ involvement in Food Connect helps to complete the sustainable and efficient food cycle of an already impressive venture,” said Tamara Winograd, head of marketing and communications at Bosch eBike Systems. “Food Connect is making a huge impact socially, environmentally and economically and we look forward to seeing what lies ahead for this fantastic project.”
Helen Innes, project coordinator at Food Connect, added: “The Food Connect service makes a huge difference locally. The amazing thing is that everyone benefits from sharing surplus food. The biggest challenge for Food Connect is the logistics behind collecting the unwanted food and redistributing it quickly via our network of community fridges, to those who need it and those that simply hate to see it go to waste. This is where the e-cargo bikes come in – they’re brilliant.”
Read the December issue of BikeBiz below:
