Among its achievements the project has raised £20m and opened Coronation Food Hubs in Liverpool, Birmingham and South London
The Coronation Food Project has delivered almost 5,000 tonnes more food to communities in need since it launched on the King’s 75th birthday two years ago.
The King will meet chief executives and leaders from the food industry and food rescue charities today to recognise their achievements.
The Coronation Food Project was set up to tackle food waste and reduce hunger, with the backdrop of the UK wasting more than 10 million tonnes of food per year, while almost one in seven households lives with food insecurity.
Among its achievements the 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.
The project has delivered nearly 5,000 tonnes more food to communities in need, made up of over 1,500 tonnes of surplus food that has been rescued, 1,255 tonnes of food that has been manufactured utilising surplus capacity, plus more than 2,100 tonnes donated by food manufacturers and retailers.
The figure is the equivalent of more than 11 million meals.
Meanwhile, nearly £1m has been awarded through King Charles’ Charitable Fund, to 33 good causes addressing food waste and food insecurity across the UK.
Convened by the IGD, FareShare and The Felix Project, senior leaders from the UK food industry initially came together in November 2023 at the launch of the Coronation Food Project. They signed an historic 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.
Coronation Food Project chair Martina Milburn 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. None of this would have happened without the inspiration and support of the King and Queen so it’s fitting that the initiative is named in honour of their coronation.”
The Felix Project chief executive Charlotte Hill added: “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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