Join This is Rubbish on 5 July as they take on the scandal of surplus food in a tropical café experience in the heart of Waterloo. Part of this year’s Waterloo Quarter Food Festival the EXOTIC EXCESS CAFÉ promises visitors a totally unique food experience whilst demonstrating the tragedy of global food waste and excess. Globally we waste between 30-40 per cent of all food grown and produced – and This is Rubbish works towards changing that.
Located on the Lower Marsh Plaza in SE1, open between 11am-4pm, and free to attend, the EXOTIC EXCESS CAFÉ will include a ‘help yourself’ fruit bowl, ‘place mat pledges’ and a ‘menu of activism’. The place mat pledges – with either community or personal pledges against food waste – will be hung in the café on the This is Rubbish washing line for all to see. Walkabout performers will be mingling with shoppers along Lower Marsh – serving tropical fruit jelly and chatting about food waste. From 2pm This is Rubbish will perform a ‘communal fruit salad toss for the masses’. Members of the public are invited to take part and trade in a ‘place mat pledge’ for some free fruit salad and marvel at the glittering Exotic Excess tropical fruit installations aimed at highlighting the tragedy of food waste and excess.
Caitlin Shepherd, This is Rubbish Co Director, said: “This is Rubbish are delighted to be joining the Waterloo Food Festival this year, and on Saturday the 5th of July, will be there in style with an Exotic Excess Cafe.Tropically adorned, a troupe of This is Rubbish volunteers will be serving fruit surplus salad jelly, and demonstrating that the majority of UK industry food waste is too good to chuck out! Come down to sample the delights of surplus, learn about food waste and take part in a large scale fruit salad toss.”
Helen Santer, CEO of Waterloo Quarter, the organisers of the Food Festival, said: “This is Rubbish tells thestory of waste and excess via fun food waste events and experiences. Food waste is a really important global issue – so we are really excited to be bringing this event to this year’s Food Festival. I’m anticipating a really unique event and hope Waterloo comes up trumps with lots of pledges against unnecessary food waste.”
This is Rubbish sources its food mainly from supermarkets and large-scale fruit markets in London. As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility schemes, most supermarkets are beginning to choose to give this surplus away rather than simply send it to landfill, which has been common practice thus far. Most surplus supermarket food is still perfectly fine for human consumption but because the rules and regulations behind how food should look (perfect and blemish-free) much of it ends up in landfill for no good reason.
Generally, a whole box of goods can be discarded simply because a barcode is faulty, or one of the containers within a whole shipment is damaged.
To find out more about the EXOTIC EXCESS CAFÉ visit www.wearewaterloo.co.uk
The Waterloo Food Festival runs throughout July with a mouth-watering programme of events and offers showcasing the vibrant mix of food and drink venues to be discovered in the SE1 area. Waterloo’s many restaurants, pubs, cafés, bars and specialist food shops will be hosting exclusive events, tastings and demonstrations including an Evening Food Fair opposite the Old Vic theatre on 3 July, a Spanish & Latin- American Street Party on 17 July, the Chateau Marmot demo & tasting on 19 July, the Waterloo Beer & Burgers Festival on 24 July and a Waterloo Charity Bake-off on 31 July.
More information about the Festival can be found at www.wearewaterloo.co.uk. To take full advantage of all the special offers, foodie competitions and events pick up a FREE Gastro Passport at participating retailers or by emailing info@waterlooquarter.org
-ENDS-
For further information and images please contact Sarah Harrison, for Waterloo Quarter Food Festival, on
07768 372892 or email sarah@sarahharrisonpr.com
Notes to Editors
The Waterloo Food Festival
Now in its sixth year, the Waterloo Quarter Food Festival is a month-long celebration of food and drink organised by the Waterloo Quarter Business Improvement District, Waterloo’s business-led organisation committed to improving the area of Waterloo. Unlike many other food festivals it doesn’t take place in a tent or marquee but in the street and within individual bars, restaurants, pubs and shops. Visit
www.waterlooquarter.org to find out more.
