Kirriemuir Food Hub reaches milestone in fight against waste

A service set up to support local people in the Kirriemuir area during the first Covid lockdown has reached a major milestone by saving more than 20 tonnes of food from going to waste.
Mark Dowie
By Mark Dowie
Published 31st Jan 2022, 17:00 BST
The food hub now features its own growing area, community larder and fridge which can be accessed by anyone in the community.The food hub now features its own growing area, community larder and fridge which can be accessed by anyone in the community.
The food hub now features its own growing area, community larder and fridge which can be accessed by anyone in the community.

Kirriemuir Food Hub was set up by a group of volunteers to help tackle food and financial insecurity and, based at Lindsey Wilson’s pub, 3 Bellies Brae, the group widened its remit from its initial aims.

Lesley said: “While our mission is predominantly about reducing food insecurity, almost as a by-product of this, the opportunity to reduce food waste and contribute to action around climate change was recognised so we are supported by Sustainable Kirriemuir through the Climate Challenge Fund Project whose objective is to reduce local food waste by six tonnes by March 2022.”

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The hub now feaures its own growing plot behind the pub and is open from Monday to Saturday, 10am to 2pm, for anyone to use.

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Lauren Urquhart, Learning and Events Leader with Sustainable Kirriemuir said: “We are delighted to be able to support the Kirrie Food Hub and Community Fridge through our project. Their volunteers work tirelessly collecting and redistributing food waste from local shops, such as the Co-op, and further afield, including Asda and Tesco, through schemes including FareShare, leading to Kirriemuir making great strides towards envisaging what ‘a world without waste’ might look like.”

It is estimated that around a third of all food produced globally is wasted, contributing to the creation of between 25% and 30% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The hub has saved 20 tonnes of food – around 40,000 individual meals – by diverting it from incineration to feed people experiencing food insecurity via its community larder which is available 24 hours per day in the hub’s garden. Anything beyond human consumption is further diverted mostly into animal feed and what remains is composted.

Lindsey added: “Even as we celebrate this milestone, we’re looking ahead. We’re considering how best to reach more people in need and how to include more of the community in our activities. Here’s to the next 20 tonnes, and beyond!”

Anyone keen to get involved can call in during opening times, call 07745 639144, or get in touch via the group’s Facebook page.

Related topics:Co-Op