Tag: foodwaste

Carina Millstone discusses the problem of food waste on Roundtable

3rd Jun 19 by Carina Millstone, Executive Director

Food waste is not simply a matter wasting money, it takes a huge toll on the environment. Guests discuss this issue on Roundtable.

Carina Millstone, Executive Director of Feedback, features with other guests on Roundtable, discussing the real problem of food waste and its impact on the environment.

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Come Dine Sustainably

4th Jan 19 by Isobella, Feedback volunteer

Keen advocate for ending food waste, Isobella arranged an insightful evening with delicious food made from surplus and salvaged ingredients.

One evening, seven friends gathered in a student flat in growing anticipation of what on earth they would be concocting for their supper. All they knew was that it was a ‘sustainable’ evening of food innovation.

Waste not

The array of potential ingredients were laid out, including excess fruit and veg salvaged from a local greengrocers (by Feedback’s Gleaning Network coordinator Heather), scraps from the fridge and a few dry, cupboard items. Items of interest included pumpkin, plantain & pomegranate…and some suspicious looking surplus wine.

Teams of 2 were formed for starter, main and dessert and the eager cooks competed for ingredients as they plotted what to make. This was a perfect number for us, as it worked in the space and quantities we had. The criteria was to make something delicious, producing as little waste as possible, and minimise food miles. In the end, no one bought any extra ingredients – all the courses were formed from the original stocks, which was amazing!

Let’s get cooking

It was such a fun atmosphere whilst everyone was cooking and crafting their dishes, especially in utilising all components of an item. The starter team were the most creative with presentation, utilising the pineapple as a vessel for their pomegranate chutney and salsa, accompanied by plantain fried in Toast beer – a wonderful product which we all loved, which uses surplus bread to produce a delicious brew.The main course won on taste, with curried cauliflower, veggie fritters and a red lentil dahl, followed by pumpkin pie with banana and beetroot swirl ice cream for dessert – a beautiful harmony of fruit and veg! We created sub-categories under ‘food’ and ‘sustainability’ including taste, texture, quantity of waste and environmental impact to name a few for the recipients to vote on after each course.

More than just eating

Throughout the evening we played games including ‘guess who – the food waste version’, in which we each had a food item stuck to our heads which others had describe what they would do if they had surplus amounts of that item to help them guess. Discussions were also prompted by real life scenarios in which decisions about minimising food waste were chewed over. It was really great to be able to have intentional conversation surrounding food and how we can buy, cook and eat more consciously and sustainably, after we had proven to ourselves how much could be done when you have imagination and intention.

All in all, everyone was really impressed and proud of how inventive they had been, and the joy that it is to share wholesome, home-made food with friends. I firmly believe that seeds were planted that evening, and that each person left feeling inspired, well-nourished and encouraged to cook from scratch and from scraps and better understand the journey their food has taken before it gets to the plate.

I hope this acts as an encouragement for others to host their own, with friends or strangers – you can be the catalyst!

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Gleaning Network’s Rescued over 2 Million Portions of Food Since 2012

20th Nov 15 by fb_admin

Strawberry gleaning 16A Berry Big Accomplishment

A big congratulations is in order to all those who have supported and volunteered to help our ever-expanding Gleaning Network! Since 2012 the Gleaning Network has rescued over 2 million portions of fruit and vegetable from going to waste on farmers fields.

The Gleaning Network coordinates volunteers, farmers and food redistribution charities in order to salvage the thousands of tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables that are wasted on farms every year across the UK and Europe, and direct this fresh, nutritious food to people in need. The Soil Association estimate that 20-40% of UK Fruit and vegetables are rejected on cosmetic grounds before they reach the consumer.

Last week, our gleaners rescued 2 tonnes of apples from going to waste on a farm in Sussex and there are more gleans planned for the wrap-up of this year. Please sign up to our gleaning list if you’d like to get involved.

An Evening of Gourmet Upcycling

The talented chef Jackson Boxer of Brunswick House prepared a very special meal on Monday evening using a host of ingredients that otherwise would have been wasted. There were loads of declious apples rescued by our Gleaning Network, as well as a fantastic pig fed on a diet of food waste. Next time someone says you can’t do something special with food waste, tell them to have a look at this fantastic menu:

waste food dinner menu

How are you with FIGures?bean counter

Feedback is hiring! If you or anyone you know is interested in joining the food waste revolution from the frontlines here at our bright Dalston office be sure to apply for one of our two roles: Financial Controller and Bookkeeper. Spread the word.

#fightfoodwastefriday

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Pledging Support in the Food Waste Fight

13th Nov 15 by fb_admin

Pledge Central

farmer2updateWith the release of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s second episode of the hard-hitting BBC1 documentary – Hugh’s War on Waste – UK food waste has been thrust onto the public agenda. The outcry for supermarkets to tackle the vast amount of food waste they generate is deafening. Hugh’s Pledge of Support broke the internet on Monday with well over 200,000 signatures. The Stop the Rot Campaign calling on supermarkets to commit to ambitious targets to reduce their own stores’ and their manufacturing suppliers’ food waste by 30% by 2025 is experiencing massive support with over 180,000 signatures.

Finally, the petition for Feedback’s Stop Dumping Campaign has amassed over 1 million signatures! We are calling on national leaders and ministers to:

Pass laws obliging supermarkets to donate unsold food and publish their waste data, as well as to establish authorities to investigate supermarkets’ unfair treatment of suppliers, such as dumping waste onto farmers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Help keep this amazing momentum alive. Share these very important pledges with your family and friends:

Stop Dumping

Stop the Rot

Hugh’s Appeal

Don’t forget to read more about what Feedback’s been working on in our latest newsletter.

In the News…

There have been some fantastic food waste stories in the news this week:

parsnip in armsFeedback’s Edd Colbert found a treasure trove of perfectly edible luxury food dumped outside a local Waitrose branch. You can see loads of fantastic photos and read all about the dumpster diving expedition in the Daily Mail.

In The Times this week, Feedback Founder Tristram Stuart discusses using food no longer fit for human consumption as fodder for livestock. You can read the article here: Using Pigs in the Fight Against Food Waste 

Look forward to another update next week from #fightfoodwastefriday!

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