3 2 MARCH 2023 Turning rubbish to revenue One big message to emerge from last November’s COP27 climate conference in Egypt was that more coordination is needed in our food system to tackle waste. In future, companies need to work together to repurpose each other’s waste streams pro tably. What is being rejected by one can form the basis of another product, as these UK companies are proving. All products below are available at Waitrose. LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS Fromusing leftover fruit for smoothies to composting your scraps, you’ll find 100 brilliant ways to reduce foodwaste at waitrose.com/100tips Doing the numbers 50% Waitrose pledged to halve food waste across its supply chain by 2030, and help to halve UK household waste by supporting customers to make changes in their own homes 40 Waitrose shops now work with Olio Food Waste Heroes to give away their surplus, which has led to 32 tonnes of food being rescued 13.6M meals have been provided by Waitrose to people in need since it started working with FareShare, a charity ghting hunger and reducing food waste 5,721 tonnes of food have been saved thanks to Waitrose’s work with FareShare. This has prevented 15.8m kilos of CO2 being produced 20% of shoppers are batch cooking and using their freezer more to avoid throwing away food, a survey by Waitrose with Wrap found 400 products at Waitrose no longer carry best before dates, including citrus fruits, salads and vegetables, supporting better longevity of food Put the excess to good use #NEXTOVERS Not to be confusedwith leftovers (yesterday’s dinner heated up), nextovers are surplus ingredients turned into something different the next day. See TikTok for ideas – roast chicken into quesadillas, mashed potatoes into fish cakes, pasta into a frittata… WHOLE CHOCOLATE About 14 million tons of cacao fruit is harvested annually, but 70% is thrown away, says The Upcycled Food Association. No.1 WholeFruit Chocolate from Waitrose is made from the entire fruit rather than just the cocoa bean, creating premium chocolate from an ingredient that would otherwise go to waste. No.1 WholeFruit Chocolate, £2.85/45g. TARGETING UNLOVED VEG Leading the eld is Rubies in the Rubble, a condiments and relish company that has been using fruit and vegetables rejected by others in the food supply chain since 2010. Rubies in the Rubble Tomato Ketchup, SAVE 25%, £2.60/470g, was £3.50, o er ends 14 March. REPURPOSING WONKY FRUIT Using similar unwanted ingredients but with a di erent result, Dash launched its range of sparkling spring waters in 2017. It says the fruit it uses would not normally be considered good enough for consumers, but tastes delicious. Dash Water, £4/4x330ml or 2 FOR £7, o er ends 14 March. REINVENTING COFFEE GROUNDS Drying co ee grounds to make co ee logs to burn on barbecues and wood stoves, Bio-bean launched co ee waste collection services across the UK in 2013 to become the world’s rst industrial-scale co ee recycling factory. Co ee Logs, £8.75/16s. Gluts happen. If you know you’ve got too much food in your fridge and no time or space to cook and freeze it, turn to these resources. OLIO An easy-to-use app that puts you in touch with neighbours who can collect your unwanted food. Even if it’s just a few turnips you know are not going to be eaten, you can take a picture of them, post them on the app and wait for someone to pick them up. olioex.com LOCAL FOOD BANKS They need donations all year round. Find your nearest one, and ask what is needed and how you can help. givefood.org.uk TOO GOOD TO GO This app o ers food businesses a way to have leftovers picked up for discount prices. If you are interested in collecting unsold food from places near you, you can log in as a customer. toogoodtogo.co.uk COMMUNITY FRIDGES These are a great place to donate surplus food – anyone can use them and they’re usually set up in a public place. The environmental charity Hubbub funds more than 300 fridges across the UK and plans to increase that to 500 by the end of 2023. hubbub.org.uk KARMA Similar to Too Good to Go, this app allows you to buy unsold food from local businesses at a discount, usually around half price. Order items over the app, then collect them from the store. old.karma.life GANDER An award-winning app that provides real-time information on reduced supermarket stock. It aims to x the problem that shoppers can only nd yellow-stickered items when they visit a store, saving you money and reducing food waste. It currently only operates in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, Coventry and south-west Wales, but aims to expand across the UK. gander.co Photographs: Getty Images, Cabosse Naturals, Illustration: Nicholas Stevenson/Folioart
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