Food redistribution charity City Harvest has celebrated the charitable efforts of New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) businesses in supplying fruit and vegetables for people in need across London and the South East.

At an event called ‘Defining Food Poverty – The New Normal’ held at the historic Drapers’ Hall in the City of London, City Harvest praised the efforts of traders at NCGM in donating hundreds of tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables, highlighting the creation of a new distribution hub at the Market.

The event – attended by supporters and key-industry experts – asked why food poverty is affecting 20 per cent of the UK’s population and provided an expert panel to look at solutions and kick-start discussions. With a staggering 130,000 people supported by City Harvest each week, attendees heard how donations from traders at New Covent Garden Market are playing a huge role.

Hilary Lindsay and Denise Fellows from the Livery Food Initiative praise NCGM at an event called 'Defining Food Poverty - The new normal' hosted by food redistribution charity City Harvest.

A City Harvest distribution centre (DC) has been based at NCGM since January 2024 thanks to donations from The Livery Food Initiative (LFI), moving to a dedicated 2,164-square-foot site earlier this year. Hilary Lindsay and Denise Fellows from the LFI were guest speakers at the event, explaining how the LFI got involved with fundraising and praising NCGM traders for the support they’ve shown to City Harvest. With a chiller that can hold 24 pallets of produce, as well as a dry area, food is collected from NCGM businesses then delivered directly from the DC to the charity’s community partners. In 2025, the NCGM site is estimated to have delivered 900,000 meals to people who need it most.

City Harvest is building on a longstanding relationship with NCGM. Since 2017, the charity had sent collection vans twice weekly to collect a cumulative 483 tonnes of fresh produce (equivalent to 1.15 million meals) over the seven years before opening a pilot unit in 2024. The partnership with City Harvest is simultaneously helping NCGM to significantly reduce food waste.

To find out more visit: https://cityharvest.org.uk/