Deal will combine FareShare’s extensive national network with Felix’s London expertise
The UK’s two largest food redistribution charities, FareShare and Felix Project, are merging with the aim of making a bigger national impact at a time of urgent need.
Each year, the UK wastes 10.7 million tonnes of food, while 14 per cent of UK households live with food insecurity. With demand for food rising, and eight in 10 charities fearing they cannot keep up, FareShare and Felix Project believe joining forces will allow them to rescue more food, cut more waste, and reach more people in need.
FareShare says the merger will combine its 30 years of nationwide reach and strategic partnerships with Felix’s innovation and London expertise, creating “more collaborative and efficient ways of working” and “a stronger, joined-up solution to tackling food waste across the UK”.
The move, which follows extensive collaboration between the two organisations over the past few years, 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 award-winning joint campaign for a national £15mn 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 148mn meals.
Meanwhile, FareShare has grown into the UK’s biggest national food redistribution charity, working hand in hand with thousands of local charities and volunteers. Independent research shows that for every £1 donated, FareShare and its partners create £13 of social and economic value.
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.
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, 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.
Dominic Blakemore, the current chair of FareShare and CEO of Compass Group will chair the new Board of Trustees, with Gavin Darby, the current chair of Felix and CEO of Premier Foods, as vice-chair.
Leaders from across the food industry and charity sector welcomed the announcement, including Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts, Tesco’s chief comms and sustainability officer Christine Heffernan, and the IGD’s CEO Sarah Bradbury.
