Ground-breaking community project to stop food waste in Stroud set for grand launch

The new Stroud Food Surplus Café will hold its first pop-up event next weekend, ushering in a new phase of combatting waste in the town.

The project intercepts produce that would otherwise go to waste from supermarkets, restaurants and a number of other sources, and turns it into healthy, nutritious meals for all – including those in need - on a pay-as-you-feel donation basis.

It is part of The Real Junk Food Project network of cafés and communities serving 100 per cent intercepted food.

Under the motto ‘feed bellies, not bins’, the ethos behind the scheme is aimed at helping redress imbalances in the food system.

The launch will be held as a one-off, pop-up cafe at Stroud Congregational Church in Bedford Street from 1-3pm on Saturday January 23.

Similar events will then be held at different locations in the town centre as the group grows and expands.

The woman spearheading the venture is Caroline Baird from Stroud, who has a background in catering as well as being a community campaigner, artist, small business owner and lawyer.

“I was inspired by similar cafes I’d seen and was amazed that Stroud didn’t have anything like this already,” she said.

“We have such an active community with a number of connected community groups and charities – so I think Stroud is a perfect place for this kind of project.

“I’ve had an incredibly positive reception since the idea was first suggested. People have come out of the woodwork to offer their help.

“We’ve seen support from everyone from caterers and trained chefs to graphic artists over the last few weeks.

“I’m so excited to launch our first café - I’ve got a lot of things planned for the big day.”

Since the idea was first floated, she explained, she had seen support from local restaurants, cafes, businesses, churches and Stroud District Foodbank.

Food destined for waste from these locations will be collected and then served in the café.

No food will be sold - which means the business will work on a policy of donations in order to keep running.

“People can choose to support the project in many ways – it’s up to them really,” continued Caroline.

“People could donate money, offer to help out with the washing up, clean the tables, or help us to create artwork for café.

“As well as providing free meals to those in need, this pay-as-you-feel concept creates a sense of community.

“There is a relationship between the people who use, manage, and work at the café.”

Currently it is estimated that 15 million tonnes of food is wasted in Britain alone.

Some of it is rejected for cosmetic reasons, some sits on supermarkets shelves and is then thrown away when it goes past its ‘best before’ date and some is processed by restaurants or other food companies and never gets eaten.

Even after it’s purchased, UK households waste around 20 per cent of all the food they buy.

“With millions of people in the UK living in poverty and relying on foodbanks, these figures just aren't acceptable,” added Caroline.

“Another key idea is that 90 per cent of profits go back into the project and to our volunteers. This means that everyone working for us is paid a real living wage.

“So we are currently looking for more people to work in roles from food interceptors and divers to front of house staff, kitchen assistants and chefs.”

The group are also asking for a number of items to get the scheme properly up and running.

These include utensils, crockery, large pans, spices, pitchers, tables, chairs, large roasting trays, vegetarian stock cubes, storage containers, coconut milk, boxes, crates, baskets, weighing scales, table clothes, serving dishes, mixing bowls, chalkboard, four A frame chalkboards and a donation tin.

Importantly, the project is still in need of a central location where it can store all the food that is collected.

If you can offer a space or want to help out in any way please email stroudfoodsurplus@outlook.com

For any further information please visit www.stroudfoodsurplus.org/