Free Lunch for Londoners Care of Elmlea Brought to You By The ABC

Tuesday 23 April, 2019 Written by Simon Collyer

Food waste is a global issue with a wide variety of environmental, social and economic impacts.

New research today unveils that nearly three quarters of UK households are regularly throwing out food each week, with a staggering 40 per cent of their food shop on average destined for the bin.

The ABC supports any initiative that cuts food waste.

Regionally, it was revealed that those in London, Sheffield and Belfast are the worst offenders, however, the residents of Plymouth are setting an example on how we care for our food.

From the 1,500 adults polled, the study commissioned by Elmlea found that the top three ingredients most likely to be thrown out were lettuce, bread and bananas.

When questioned, 74 per cent of respondents said they are “left baffled” when it comes to knowing what to do with leftovers and ingredients approaching their use by date, even though a third of us are actively seeking inspiration online.

To raise awareness of this issue and inspire Brits to make a change on how we approach waste, a social-concept café is opening its doors in line with ‘Stop Food Waste Day’.

Open for one-day-only on Wednesday 24th April, the eatery dubbed the ‘Taste, Not Waste’ café will be serving hundreds of FREE lunches using the top 20 foods most likely destined for landfill.

The zero-waste menu concept has been cooked up by Elmlea who are doing their part to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Taking place in close proximity to Oxford Circus, Londoners need to simply turn up to the pop-up between midday and 3pm for their free lunch.

Homemade hearty and healthy sweet and savoury dishes will be up for grabs, with Elmlea at the heart of each dish, delivering that creamy taste the nation knows and loves.

Gemma Williams, Brand Strategy & Innovation Manager at Elmlea comments on the findings:

“The scale of the food waste problem is staggering, as a nation we need to unite in driving education, as well as make tangible changes to our culture around food that will help reduce these figures.

“With 90% of us throwing food away too soon, we hope the ‘Taste, Not Waste’ café will fuel inspiration and show attendees how you can make delicious recipes that will use up the food that’s about to go bad in your fridge or pantry.

“Thanks to Elmlea being a longer lasting cream alternative that stays fresher for longer, it is perfectly suited to making more of those sweet or savoury leftovers.”

Elmlea