Lots of food on a Christmas dinner table

Source: Unsplash

Christmas is a time of abundance for millions – but one in five people face food insecurity

Christmas is my favourite time of year. I love the family time, the friends, the decorations, the sheer enthusiasm to celebrate. But as a food waste fighter, I also see the stark reality behind the magic: Christmas is our most wasteful season. As millions of us enjoy abundance, one in five people face food insecurity and struggle to put food on the table.

At Rubies in the Rubble, we exist because we believe no one should go hungry while perfectly good food goes to waste. And that’s why this season, we’re encouraging everyone across our industry to help narrow the gap between abundance and need.

While it’s true that around 60% of UK food waste happens in the home, the tone, and the volume of food waste is set much earlier in the chain. So this Christmas, we’re asking: how can you Do Gooder? Here are some ideas:

  • Embrace supplier agility: Wonky produce and variable sizes are a reality of winter crops, yet too often rejected. Relaxing specs and planning for seasonal variation keeps edible product in circulation.
  • Innovate with surplus: Consumer appetite for upcycled foods is growing and brands like ours show surplus can become products people love. Let’s scale that mindset across more categories.
  • Improve labelling and reduce confusion: Shoppers remain unclear about date labels, with many binning food that’s still perfectly safe. Clear guidance and education can help households make more of what they have.
  • Support redistribution: Speed matters. The closer surplus is to real-time redirection towards FareShare, Olio and community kitchens, the fewer lorryloads end up in landfill.
  • Make donations the status quo: food poverty doesn’t stop in January. Our industry holds huge power to support vulnerable households year-round – not just at Christmas.

At Rubies in the Rubble, we’re doing what we can: running volunteer days with FareShare, donating our products to those in need, and giving 10p from every bottle of our ketchup sold this season – but we know we’re one part of a much bigger opportunity.

Let’s make this Christmas wonderful for everyone… and keep the momentum going long after the decorations come down.

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