If 50 initiatives each spend one hour less per week on planning and storage, that saves 2,600 hours per year. The MKBA by New Economy counts this as time freed by the shared food hub. Shared logistics turn scattered effort into capacity for the work itself. Without a calculation, the social value of informal food initiatives stays invisible, while the cost of inaction keeps rising.
A social cost-benefit analysis values the network’s benefits against public spending and avoidable social costs. This is relevant for municipalities, city districts and organisations working on food security, poverty and public health.