Review: Bristol Hub’s Just Eat It! Food Waste Café

By Claire Hargreaves, fourth year French and German student

Bristol Hub opened its proverbial doors on the 25th February at the Multifaith Chaplaincy to students eagerly waiting to tuck into a freshly-cooked meal with friends. But what made the event so special? All the food cooked that evening was so-called ‘food waste’ which Bristol Hub volunteers had collected from local shops and cafes which otherwise would have been thrown in the bin.

Cooking up soup, stew and a stir-fry, Bristol Hub aimed to hammer home their message of getting out of the student bubble and becoming involved in effecting social change in Bristol and beyond.

Collecting 25 bags of food, of which 23 were totally viable to be eaten, a vegetarian feast was served up and fruit and veg was up for grabs to take home by students, all for a good cause: attendees were encouraged to pay by donating how much they felt the meal was worth and Bristol Hub made £170 from students’ donations which will go towards community projects in the surrounding area.

An evening which was as enjoyable as it was empowering, I was very encouraged by how many students came along who clearly have the issues of sustainability and food waste on their agenda. It was a great example of students taking part in social impact initiatives and I hope the Bristol Hub is on students’ radars as it offers regular ways to take part in volunteering and community projects.

Above all, this event shows that if more shops and cafes made it easier for local residents to collect food waste at the end of the day, and if legislation was put in place that enabled local businesses to sell out-of-date food at a much reduced price, perhaps less perfectly edible food would go to waste.

Featured image: Unsplash / Del Barrett

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