The Coronation Food Project marks its second anniversary today (19 November) and, so far it has delivered almost 5,000 tonnes more food to communities in need.
Inspired by His Majesty The King, it was launched on The King’s 75th Birthday in November 2023. Later today, The King will meet chief executives and leaders from the food industry and food rescue charities to recognise their achievements.
The project aims to tackle food waste and reduce hunger. The UK wastes more than 10m tonnes of food per year, while almost one in seven households lives with food insecurity.
Senior leaders from the UK food industry initially came together in November 2023 at the launch. They signed a pledge to pursue the reduction of all forms of waste in the food supply chain and increase redistribution of surplus food to those most in need. Fifty UK food retailers and manufacturers are already involved.
In just two years since its launch, the Coronation Food Project has Raised £20m and opened Coronation Food Hubs in Liverpool, Birmingham and South London, in partnership with FareShare and The Felix Project, with two more set to open next year.
It also delivered 4,932 tonnes more food to communities in need, made up of 1,541 tonnes of surplus food that has been rescued, 1,255 more tonnes of food that has been manufactured utilising surplus capacity, plus 2,136 additional tonnes of food donated by food manufacturers and retailers.
This is the equivalent of more than 11 million meals.
Finally, the project has awarded £907,990 through the King Charles III Charitable Fund, to 33 good causes addressing food waste and food insecurity across the UK, helping to scale up their delivery and extend the benefits of their projects.
Dame Martina Milburn, chair of the coronation food project, said: “The progress we’ve made in two years is just fantastic and it’s a real testament to the leadership shown by the UK food industry. Thousands more tonnes of food are being saved and getting on to the plates of people who might otherwise go hungry.”
Charlotte Hill OBE, chief executive of The Felix Project said: “Thousands of community organisations rely on the food that is saved and circulated by FareShare and The Felix Project. So, it’s vital that we find new ways of getting more surplus food into the system. The Coronation Food Project is doing just that, at a scale and pace which is quite extraordinary.”
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