Each year, the UK wastes around 10.7 million tonnes of food, while 14% of UK households live with food insecurity – and demand for support is only intensifying.
To ease pressure on the charities – with 8 in 10 of the charities FareShare supports saying they’re struggling to meet demand – FareShare and The Felix Project have announced their intention to merge.
The move will see FareShare’s 30 years of nationwide reach and strategic partnerships coming together with The Felix Project’s innovation and London expertise. Through the merger, they will be able to pool resources and create more efficient ways of working to tackle 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 joint campaign for a national £15 million 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 148 million meals.
The Felix Project was launched 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 meals every day. It has been working with FareShare as its London delivery partner since 2020.
The new charity will adopt the Felix name, with a new brand identity introduced gradually as part of a phased transition, including a period of dual branding.
Charlotte Hill, who has been at the helm of the Felix Project for three years, will take on the role of chief executive at the new organisation.
“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,” said Hill.
Kris Gibbon-Walsh, currently the CEO of FareShare, will assume the role of deputy chief executive. Meanwhile, 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.
Commenting on the merger, Gibbon-Walsh said the move will enable the businesses to do “much more to tackle food waste at source” whilst it continues to support its independent network of 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,” he added.
Leaders from across the food industry and charity sector welcomed the announcement, including Simon Roberts, CEO of Sainsbury’s and chair of IGD.
“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,” said Roberts.
“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.”
