King Charles is marking his 76th birthday by opening the first two Coronation Food Hubs – one in person in Deptford, southeast London, and another virtually in Knowlsey, Merseyside.
The opening of the new facilities coincides with the first anniversary of his Coronation Food Project (CFP), which aims to bridge the gap between food waste and food need across the UK, by saving more surplus food, supercharging food distribution networks and delivering a flexible funding programme to support the wider sector.
The King is carrying out the engagement on his own today, as his wife Queen Camilla pulled out while she continues to recover from a nasty chest infection.
His visit on Thursday morning coincides with the publication of an impact report, which reveals that his CFP has saved 940 tonnes of surplus food – the equivalent of more than 2 million meals – during the initiative’s first 12 months.
A further 1,900 tonnes – or 4.5 million meals – have also been donated by partners of the project.
The initiative, which partners with The Felix Project and FareShare, has made “significant and tangible progress towards achieving” its goals, the report said.
It also revealed that three more hubs will be opened in the coming year.
In November last year, major supermarkets and food manufacturers signed a pledge to support the project.
Developments include M&S and the 2 Sisters Food Group launching an initiative creating one million ready meals such as vegetable curry and family-sized pizzas from surplus ingredients through a unique supplier club, while Asda and Morrisons have focused on produce recovery within their supply chains.
An estimated 25% of all food in the UK is wasted, the report said.
