A community fridge is a space that brings people together to share food, meet up, learn new skills and prevent fresh food from going to waste. They’re open to all and anyone can share or take food, including surplus from supermarkets, local food businesses, producers, households and gardens. Fridges are run by community groups in shared spaces such as schools, community centres and shops. There are over 600 fridges across the UK (and counting).

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Community fridges are a tried and tested way of reducing the environmental impact of food waste, which is a huge issue. A third of all food produced globally is wasted. If food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases globally.  Across the growing network, each fridge can redistribute between 1 – 4 tonnes of surplus food per month, making the collective impact of the network huge. 

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However, they also do so much more: all across the UK, fridges have become the centre of the community. As well as stopping good food from going to waste, people can also take part in other activities, learn new skills such as how to grow or cook food, or simply drop in for a chat. We’ve supported over 100 community fridge sites to expand their offer to include community meals and cooking and growing workshops. In the context of rocketing food prices and widespread loneliness, many community fridges have also become a lifeline and valuable meeting place at the heart of their community.