- A new installation at Angel Central, Islington from 8th – 10th July will highlight the fact that 75% of the food we throw in the bin could have been eaten – and that a few small changes in our diets could reduce our impact on the planet
- The Food Wave campaign will run three days of workshops, stalls and competitions designed to inspire visitors to enjoy a more sustainable approach to buying, storing, eating – and even growing – their food
A new campaign called Food Wave will be reaching out to north Londoners next weekend to celebrate and promote a more sustainable relationship with food, with stalls, art activities, competitions, cookery workshops within Angel Central, Islington, on the ground floor next to Paperchase and Uniqlo. Two huge new sculptures will also be located in the central piazza space of the central London destination.
99% of the food we consume in London is imported into the city, creating huge amounts of damaging greenhouse gas emissions at every step along the supply chain – and a substantial amount of those emissions happen because of the way we manage our food at home. But by shopping for more UK-grown food, reducing the amount of food we throw in the bin and cutting back on the amount of meat that we all eat, together we could make a real impact while getting more creative and connected with our food.
After a huge drop in household food waste during the pandemic, food waste has now shot back up to 2018 levels1 and so the Food Wave campaign is taking on the task of educating and inspiring young Londoners to stop the waste and spread the word about the impact that food has on the planet.
The three-day event will take place in Angel Central’s revitalised piazza from the 8th-10th July and will feature a programme of events hosted by London’s sustainable food pioneers, designed to inspire young people to grow tomatoes on their windowsill; or try a recipe which uses up yesterday’s leftovers; to eat a more plant-based diet or go meat-free one day a week; or simply plan a few more meals a week and shop with a list to avoid having unwanted food going off at home before it can be eaten.
As part of a collaboration with surplus food app and social impact company, Too Good To Go, two giant sculptures will be on display at Angel Central throughout the three days, to bring attention to the impact that food waste has on the environment.
Demonstrating the scale of our food waste problem in London, the installation will highlight the fact that 75% of the food we waste could have been eaten and that, in the UK, we throw away 4.4 million potatoes every day – enough to fill the Emirates’ football pitch 86 times.
Arielle Vetro, campaign manager for Food Wave in London, said:
The Food Wave campaign is all about creating a generation of food activists, making the connection between the way we grow, eat and throw away our food, and its impact on the planet. We can’t wait for the pop-up in Islington as it will give us the chance to talk with young north Londoners and find out from them how they’re feeling about the climate crisis, and what they know about how food affects it.
We know that young Londoners really care about these issues – and whenever we collaborate with them on events like this, they give us brilliant insights and ideas about how we can help everyone reduce the amount of meat we eat, buy more locally produced food, and maybe even grow a little bit of our own! And along the way we can share tips for planning meals, storing ingredients better and using up tricky leftovers.
Adam Cummins, the Centre Manager for Angel Central added:
The Food Wave campaign is a fantastic initiative to be involved in as we are always looking to support educations and charitable activations that are particularly relevant for our community. Angel Central attracts local residents as well as visitors from further afield, and our new plaza is a great space to bring this campaign to life and help raise awareness for the ‘Too Good To Go’ app to a whole range of different people.
Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, Shirley Rodrigues, said:
The Food Wave campaign raises awareness of the impact the food we eat has on the climate crisis, highlighting the associated greenhouse gas emissions from its production and transport.
Campaigns like Food Wave play an important role in inspiring Londoners to take a more sustainable approach to food and make healthier, more cost-effective choices that help build a better, greener London for everyone.
ENDS
For more information, contact Ali Moore on 07732 681821 or at ali.moore@relondon.gov.uk
Editor’s notes:
Food Wave is co-funded by the EU and promoted by the Municipality of Milan, together with 29 partners across 17 countries. The Food Wave consortium involves 16 cities and municipal agencies plus 13 civil society organisations closely linked with the cities. C40, the international network of cities engaged in the fight against climate change, is also affiliated to the project.
Find out more at www.foodwave.eu
ReLondon is a partnership of the Mayor of London and the London boroughs to improve waste and resource management and transform the city into a leading low carbon circular economy.
ReLondon’s team delivers tailored support to government, businesses and citizens. The organisation works to reduce waste, increase recycling and accelerate London’s transition to a low carbon circular economy by:
Empowering London’s boroughs and businesses by exploring, testing and proving transformative innovations with them
Advocating for policy or regulatory change
Encouraging behaviour change at all levels
ReLondon was established as a statutory Board under the Greater London Authority Act 2007 as the London Waste and Recycling Board (LWARB)
Find out more at: https://relondon.gov.uk
Too Good To Go has a simple mission: to make sure all food gets eaten, not wasted.
In 2016, a group of entrepreneurs witnessed restaurant staff throwing away fresh food. The food’s only problem? It hadn’t sold in time, and no one was around to take it off the restaurant’s hands. The group pioneered a seamless solution: an app that lists businesses’ unsold food so local diners can find, buy and enjoy it.
Now, thousands of Magic Bags are rescued from businesses such as supermarkets, restaurants, and bakeries every day. The success of the app powers Too Good To Go’s wider efforts to drive a food waste movement, working with schools, industries and governments to build a planet-friendly food system.
Too Good To Go by numbers:
- 17 countries
- 145 million meals saved globally
- 12 million meals saved in the UK
- 59 million app downloads globally
- 159,000 partner stores globally
- 2020 – became a registered B-Corp
Find out more at www.toogoodtogo.co.uk or visit us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Angel Central is a well-connected shopping, leisure and entertainment destination located within Zone 1 London. It is the major shopping centre within Angel, Islington and a top 5 London shopping destination. They have recently unveiled a £16m refurbishment of the centre and are anchored by Uniqlo, H&M and Muji.
The centre boasts two iconic sculptures: Angel Wings and Halo, both designed by Wolfgang Buttress in 2003. The centre is home to a 9-screen 2,500 capacity VUE cinema and the O2 Academy – a two theatre music venue. It is also home to Frame – a state of the art, fun and leading exercise space filled with positive energy.
Having recently been awarded a Fitwell accreditation – for creating a healthy space for people to work in and enjoy – the centre is committed to encouraging healthier choices for people and the planet. The new contactless car park houses six electric spaces, including a dedicated electric disabled space plus secure space for 46 cycles. Well-established as a hub of the Islington community Angel Central is fully accessible to all and works closely with the community on a number of projects including Islington Forest For Change.
To find out more visit: www.angelcentral.co.uk
