Feed Bellies, Not Bins is the slogan of The Real Junk Food Project, a UK food waste charity
Founded in Leeds, the charity was set up to prove that much of the food currently thrown away is absolutely fit for human consumption. The charity says: “We use our own judgement on whether we believe the food is fit for human consumption or not, by smelling it, tasting it and visually inspecting it. We do not turn food away simply because it has ‘expired’.”
Rescuing good food that would be thrown away
The Real Junk Food Project has grown into a network of cafés across the UK, with food supplied by local restaurants, allotments, events and food photographers. They are ‘pay-as-you-feel’ cafés, which enables them to work within the law, by feeding food past its expiration date to the general public, but not selling it. Patrons simply make a financial donation for the food instead.
New food waste restaurant
Next month, the Real Junk Food Project is opening Manchester’s pay-as-you-feel restaurant. The menu will change every day, using food that would otherwise be thrown away by grocers such as Ocado and New Smithfield Market. As with the cafés, there will be no set price to pay; instead customers will be asked to give what they can afford and feel the meal is worth.
The UK’s first food waste wedding feast
A couple served their wedding guests chicken and fruit rejected by retailers, reported The Guardian last week. Charlotte and Nick Baker asked their local Real Junk Food café in Wigan to create a stylish three-course meal made entirely from food that would have been thrown away.
Support the food waste revolution at home with Pac ‘n’ Vac
Pac n Vac’s UK-made vacuum food storage containers help households and caterers cut food waste by keeping food fresher and safer for longer.
So join the campaign to #feedbelliesnotbins by storing your food in Pac ‘n Vac containers to reduce the amount of food you throw away.
