Embargoed: 00: 01 - Thursday 16 May 2013
Miranda Hart is the UK’s favourite celebrity to share a
meal with
Miranda topped a consumer league table beating
Barack Obama the Queen and David Beckham
UK consumers currently benefit from £4.6 billion of savings and
earnings from the Sharing Economy
Miranda Hart is the UK’s favourite celebrity to share a meal with according to a
consumer survey commissioned by The People who Share. Roast dinner was the top
meal that consumers were most likely to want to share with their favourite celebrities,
followed by steak and chips, and fish and chips. Barack Obama was their most
favourite politician to have a meal with compared to the UK leaders of the Conservative
and Labour parties - David Cameron and Ed Miliband who are the UK’s least favourite
celebrities to share a meal with.
The representative research conducted by Opinium of 2,005 adults in the UK, was
commissioned by The People who Share to demonstrate the growing consumer
appetite for the Sharing Economy and launch Global Sharing Day on Sunday 2 June.
“UK consumers who currently share are benefiting from £4.6 billion worth of savings or
earnings. Consumers are now making and saving money through sharing, or renting
with their friends and neighbours. According to this research, those that share, can
benefit up to £400 per year per person, with some benefiting from the Sharing Economy
as much as £5,000 per year,” said Benita Matofska, CEO of the People Who Share.
Food sharing, such as at a picnic, pot luck dinner or street party is one of the UK’s most
favourite sharing activities - with 19% of the population saying they currently do this.
Global Sharing Day 2013 will take place on Sunday 2nd June in partnership with Meal
Sharing, Marks and Spencers shwopping and The Big Lunch. The event will be aiming
to set the world record for the most people sharing food in a single day! Food sharing
has a vital to role to play - 15 million tonnes of food are currently wasted between
plough and plate that could have been shared with 4 million people affected by food
poverty in the UK.
As pioneers of the Sharing Economy, zipcar, the UK’s largest pay-as-you-drive car club,
has been observing its growth for the last 12 years. Mark Walker, General Manager of
Zipcar UK, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Global Sharing Day. The Pay-asyou-live generation is here to stay and Zipcar has been proudly fuelling the Sharing
Economy by providing cars and vans, available by the hour in convenient locations to
consumers and businesses for the last 12 years. A typical Zipcar member saves over
£3,000 per year, and it’s not just money back in your pocket. Car clubs also lead to a
reduction of cars on the road, and fewer miles driven. Sharing resources, be it cars,
office space or even clothes just makes sense.”
“The Sharing Economy is growing in the UK with a 5% increase in participation since
last year. With over half the population engaged in it, selling, buying or donating second
hand goods is the nation's favourite sharing activity. 36% of Britons now share
transport including a ride to work, that’s a staggering 11% more than last year,” said
Sabine Popp, Co-Founder, Marke2ing.
“ With 33 million adult Brits already sharing, and a further 14 million considering it
- consumers are sharing to save or earn money, to help people in their neighbourhood
and because it benefits the environment. This is no longer a niche activity, it’s now part
of how people live their lives,” said Kate Hinton, Director, Trust PR.
The Sharing Economy is about the efficient use of resources, about saving and making
money in a new way (eg: car sharing, selling of used goods, crowdfunding, peer 2 peer
lending), and about a move away from ownership to the access of shared goods and
services. Sharing can include swapping goods, buying and selling second hand goods,
group buying, being part of a club such as a car club, renting goods or space, borrowing
or lending items such as tools or clothing.
As many as 10,000 businesses are now contributing to the growing the Sharing
Economy globally, such as, compareandshare.com, airbnb, Meal Sharing, zipcar,
Blablacar, Liftshare, LoveHomeSwap, ParkatmyHouse, Sooqini, Ecomodo,
rentmyitems, and the borrowers. According to Collaborative Consumption the economy
is now valued at £330 billion globally and £22.4 billion in the UK.
Notes to Editor
Benita Matofska CEO of People Who Share is available for interview
Contact: Kate Hinton, Trust PR - 07714 708416 - katehinton@trustpr.co.uk / Caroline
Randle, Trust PR carolinerandle@trustpr.co.uk - 077961 40461
The People Who Share is based in Brighton, UK and is the global campaign to build a Sharing
Economy and act as a hub for the emerging Sharing Economy estimated to be worth £22.4
billion in the UK – or 1.3% of GDP. The percentage of GDP is predicted to rise to 15% within 5
years . The People Who Share’s sister company Compare and Share has an online
comparison marketplace for the Sharing Economy compareandshare.com which is a one-stop
shop for a range of sharing goods and services. Currently focusing on car and ride sharing, the
marketplace will soon extend to travel, real estate, employment, p2p rental and skills.
3 Steps to Sharing Food, help alleviate food poverty and reduce food wastage
•
Share a meal with a friend, family or neighbour - join a street party near you and
take part in setting a world record with the Greatest Food Share on Earth on Global
Sharing Day which will see millions coming together to share food with Meal Sharing
http://www.mealsharing.org and the Big Lunch http://www.thebiglunch.com/
•
Share your time by cooking a meal for someone in need or volunteering - Casserole
helps people share extra portions of home cooked food with others in their area who
might not always be able to cook for themselves - http://www.casseroleclub.com/
and FareShare who help to redistribute food to vulnerable people, volunteer your
time to help food reach those in need - http://www.fareshare.org.uk/
•
Share your spare food that might otherwise be wasted by donating to a food bank http://www.trusselltrust.org
Celebrity League Table
The survey asked consumers who of the following figures would you most like to share
a meal with? The following sets out in order who they would most like to share a meal
with.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Miranda Hart
Barack Obama
The Queen
Kate Middleton
Helen Mirren
Jessica Ennis
David Beckham
Jamie Oliver
Angelina Jolie
Adele
Brad Pitt
David Cameron
Ed Miliband
Food League Table
The survey asked consumers what meal would you most like to share with their chosen
celebrity. The following sets out in order what meal they would most like to share.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
A roast dinner
Steak and chips
Fish and chips
Pizza
Thai stir fry
Chicken curry
Paella
Risotto
Spaghetti
Shepherd’s pie
Bangers and mash
Sushi
Chilli con carne
State of the Sharing Economy - report sponsored by: Zipcar, Mealsharing, M&S,
Opinium Research, Marke2ing, and Trust PR
The People Who Share commissioned Opinium Research to conduct a Consumer Survey on
the State of the Sharing Economy. The report is the first in a series which will document how
the Sharing Economy evolves. The Global Sharing Day campaign put a spotlight on food, the
research put questions to 2,005 UK consumers asking them about their involvement with the
people-driven economy. Global Sharing Day 2013, taking place on 2nd June, will focus on food
sharing. We have chosen this issue to make people aware of how every year tonnes of edible
food goes to landfill, yet there are millions globally living in food poverty, but also point to easy
steps everyone can take to help. Full copy of report
http://www.thepeoplewhoshare.com/stateofsharingeconomymay13/
Case studies on the Sharing Economy, meal sharers and foodbank real life stories are
also available.
A few facts on food, poverty and wastage
•
We throw away 7.2 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, the majority
of which could have been shared and eaten. It's costing us £12bn a year and is bad for the
environment too - WRAP
•
15 millions tonnes of food wasted between plough and plate in the UK (15 million tonnes
that could be shared) - Love food hate waste
•
According to WRAP the wastage amounts to 4.4 million tonnes of perfectly edible food that,
if not thrown away could save the average family £50 per month equating to £600 per year
per average family - WRAP
•
Currently 4 million people are affected by food poverty with malnutrition costing the NHS an
estimated £13 billion each year. Source - www.foodcycle.org.uk
•
The Trussell Trust estimates more than 280,000 people will be fed by their foodbanks in
2012/13.
•
The rise in the numbers of people using Trussell Trust-backed food banks in part reflects a
76% increase in the number of food banks set up over the past year. But the trust said it had
seen a 170% increase in the number of people given food boxes over the same period.