// BBC BUSINESS NEWS — FINANZA
Food redistribution warehouse opens in east London
The hub redistributes food that would have otherwise gone to waste
A food redistribution hub that aims to deliver up to 10 tonnes of food to charities and food banks each week has opened in east London.
The Big Heart Food Hub in Barking will support more than 20 local organisations that work directly with residents struggling with the cost of living.
Most of the food will be unsold items that would otherwise have gone to waste, and will feed an estimated 7,000 residents each week.
Nathan Grady, charity food coordinator, said: "We are statistically the poorest borough in London and we recognise that there's a big need. People are missing meals - children are missing meals."
The hub is a partnership between Barking and Dagenham Council, The Kindness Offensive, Food for All, Felix, City Harvest and Kingsley Hall.
Felix, a food redistribution charity, collects surplus food from shops and other providers so that it is not thrown away or incinerated.
It is given to local organisations, food banks, soup kitchens and schools, said David Goodfellow, one of the managers at Big Heart and a founder of The Kindness Offensive.
"They are the ones who are on the front line and they don't have the resources to be able to feed all the people that are coming to their doors," he said.
"We are a stepping stone, a middle ground between some of the big suppliers and some of the community-facing groups, to give them the supplies that they need.