Londoners enjoying free curry in Trafalgar Square

What a fantastic event - fun and delicious, but with an important message. Food wastage is far too high, but it is encouraging that so many people want to change these habits, and use food supplies more sensibly. As the anti-wastage movement gains support and attention, we hope that as a country we can use be less wasteful, and more environmentally responsible.

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5,000 Fed Free Curry: ‘Ugly’ Vegetables are Still Delicious

After their successful first event in 2009, Feeding 5K returned to Trafalgar Square, London in November, cooking a free meal for 5,000 while raising awareness about wasting food in the UK.

The meal on offer, a vegetable curry, was made out of

‘fresh ingredients that would otherwise go to waste – wonky carrots, misshapen potatoes and other fresh surplus produce.’

The promise of free curry, which attracted huge numbers of food lovers and interested passers-by, also allowed Feeding 5K to highlight the problem issue of food wastage.

The average UK household wastes 25% of the food it buys, and according to event organiser Tristram Stuart,

‘An estimated 20 to 40% of UK fruit and vegetables [are] rejected even before they reach the shops – mostly because they do not match the supermarkets’ excessively strict cosmetic standards.’

The event, opened by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson who dished out the first portion of curry, was partnered by many high-profile food charities, including FareShare, Love Food Hate Waste, and Friends of the Earth.  Local children also attended, representing the School Food Matters campaign whose mission is

‘to ensure that every child enjoys fresh sustainable food at school, and understands where their food comes from.’

Feeding the 5,000 took place in the same week that a report was published by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme).  The report found that a fifth of all food purchased in the UK is wasted.  Whilst these levels of wastage are high, there was also encouraging news:

‘Annual UK household food waste has fallen by 1.1 million tonnes (13%) over a three year period from 8.3 million tonnes to an estimated 7.2 million tonnes.  This avoided food waste would fill the Wembley Stadium in London to the brim.’