The Real Junk Food Project

The Real Junk Food Project (TRJFP) is an organisation that uses food that would otherwise have been discarded from supermarkets, restaurants, and other independent food suppliers to produce meals that are sold on a pay what you want basis.[1][2] These meals are produced in different pay what you want cafes around the UK. The project was founded by Adam Smith in Leeds in 2013.[3][4]

TRJFP raises awareness of the amount of food waste in the food system. It directly responds to this problem through using waste food in its cafes and other food outlets.[3] Through the pay what you want scheme, it also aims to make the food accessible to everyone.[5]

The principle

The Real Junk Food Project uses discarded (but still edible) food to sell to patrons who support the initiative by the pay what you want method. It originally used food past its use by date but since 2017 has said it no longer provides food past its use by date to the public.[6]

Cafes

The first Real Junk Food Project cafe was started in Armley, Leeds, in December 2013 by Sam Joseph, Conor Walsh and Adam Smith.[3][7][8] Since its opening, this cafe has fed over 10,000 people using over 20 tonnes of unwanted food.[2]

The Project now has a network of cafes,[9][10] which are staffed by volunteers.[11] As of 2015 there were more than 100 throughout the UK,[12] including in Bristol,[13] Brighton and Hove[1] and Manchester.[4][12]

Prosecution

During an inspection of the Leeds's warehouse, the West Yorkshire Trading Standards found 444 items out-of-date.[14] The project is now at risk of prosecution for infringing the Food Safety and Hygiene Regulations while serving produce past their expiration date.[15] Adam Smith argues that one million people have been fed by the project without anyone being sick so far.[16] As a response to the matter, Feedback, another UK organisation rescuing food waste, expressed their support to the Real Junk Food Project by stating that "the real crime here is the waste that is caused when people throw perfectly edible food away".[17]

The Project said it would "no longer provide food past its use-by date to the public."[6]

Awards
  • 2017: The Real Junk Food Project in Birmingham, Manchester and Northampton were runners-up in the Observer Food Monthly Awards[18]
  • 2018: The Real Junk Food Project in Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham were runners-up in the Observer Food Monthly Awards[19]
  • 2018: The Brighton cafes won two golds and a silver in the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Awards.[1][20][21]
  • 2018: Runner-up in The Food Chain's 2018 Global Food Champion Award in the BBC Food and Farming Awards.[22]
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See also

References
  1. Laville, Sandra (26 January 2019). "The Real Junk Food Project turns supermarket waste into tasty meals". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  2. Campbell, Lisa. "Real Junk Food Project: The Leeds cafe that has fed 10,000 people, using 20 tonnes of unwanted food – and started a worldwide movement". www.independent.co.uk. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. Cadwalladr, Carole (18 September 2016). "The Real Junk Food Project: revolutionising how we tackle food waste". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  4. Rymajdo, Kamila (20 September 2018). "This Catering Company Turns Landfill Food into Office Lunches". Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  5. "About The Real Junk Food Project". Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  6. Perrett2017-06-13T12:29:00+01:00, Michelle. "Sainsbury's and M&S suspend links with Real Junk Food Project". The Grocer. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  7. "Don't be a waster, eat at The Real Junk Food Project". Time Out Leeds. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  8. "The food thrown away by supermarkets can be used to make restaurant-quality meals. Here's how". The Independent. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  9. Slater, Nigel (18 September 2016). "Welcome to September's Observer Food Monthly". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  10. Stott, Juliet (18 April 2015). "In the cafe where you can pay what you want, what would you choose?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  11. correspondent, Harriet Sherwood Religion; Lyons, Kate; Johnson, Sarah; Brewer, Kirstie (10 October 2016). "The Brits helping refugees help Britain". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  12. Witt, Joanna (3 July 2015). "The Real Junk Food Project's Corin Bell on fighting food waste in Manchester". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  13. Morris, Steven (8 October 2014). "Bristol restaurant opts for ingredients plucked from supermarket skips". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  14. reporter, Frances Perraudin North of England (6 June 2017). "Food waste charity may be prosecuted over out-of-date produce". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  15. "The Real Junk Food Project founder faces prosecution over out-of-date produce". The Big Issue. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  16. "The Real Junk Food Project in Leeds may face prosecution". BBC. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  17. "Feedback responds to reports The Real Junk Food Project under investigation for using food past its use by date". Feedback. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  18. Fox, Killian (15 October 2017). "OFM Awards 2017: Best Ethical Food Project – the runners-up". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  19. O'Neill, Holly (25 October 2018). "OFM Awards 2018: Best Ethical Food project – runners-up". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-08-24 – via www.theguardian.com.
  20. "Revealed: The best restaurants, takeaways, Sunday roasts and chefs in Brighton and Hove". The Argus. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  21. "2018 Food Award Winners". 20 November 2018. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
  22. "The man using 'junk food' to stop food waste". BBC News. Retrieved 2019-08-24.
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