Wasted food feeds 1,000 for new campaign

Loving it: The roadshow provided 1,000 free meals to passersby, as well as tips on reducing waste.

Part of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign, the roadshow aims to demonstrate the amount of food which is needlessly wasted each year.

The average family discards some 20 per cent of the food they buy, which equates to 1,000 portions of food each year.

Hosted on Carlton Street, Castleford, on June 18, the roadshow proved popular with the locals. More than 400 portions of food were served in the first 40 minutes, and many people stopped to ask for tips on cooking and reducing food waste.

Reducing food waste could save families as much as £800 a year.

The roadshow, organised by Wakefield Council and recycling partner Renewi, crafted three meals using food that would typically be thrown out, including vegetable fritters made with stale bread.

Coun Maureen Cummings, Wakefield Council’s cabinet member for Environment and Communities said: “The Love Food Roadshow takes the volume of food that the average family throws away every year and turns it into delicious tasty meals that we give away.”

The roadshow also provided recipe cards, pasta measurers, rice scoops, bag sealing clips and tube squeezers, all designed to help minimise food wastage. The Waste and Resources Action Programme claim that oversized portions account for as much as 31 per cent of food wasted each year.

Clover Hutson, chef and TV presenter, provided culinary demonstrations and practical advice for the public.

She said: “We’re trying to get people to reduce their food waste. We’re cooking dishes with things that typically get wasted.

“Today we’re cooking a vegetable curry, vegetable fritters and a panzanella salad using things that tend to go in the bin.”

Working in partnership, Wakefield Council and Renewi are aiming to increase recycling rates in the district, which reached 50 per cent for the first time last year.

Renewi also run an education programme across the district, teaching children the importance of recycling and wider environmental issues.

For information on reducing waste and tips on saving food, go to the Love Food Hate Waste website.