Feeding the 5000 Food Festival Helps Los Angeles to Take Food Waste Off the Menu

LOS ANGELES, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Across the US, food waste accounts for one quarter of all water used. In California, that's around 8000 million gallons a day, over half of all the water used by residents and businesses in Los Angeles county in a month (1).

To spotlight the issue of food waste, and its massive climate and environmental impacts, organisations across LA are coming together on May 4 to host Feeding the 5000, a festival which invites thousands to join us in Pershing Square for a delicious meal made from top quality ingredients that would otherwise have gone to waste.

Hosted by Feedback (2) as part of the Los Angeles Times 'Food Bowl' festival (3), Feeding the 5000 LA will prove that while there's no shortage of delicious food in the City of Angels, there's plenty to do to take food waste off the menu. It is estimated 40% of food across the US is wasted (4). While food - and water - is thrown away in vast quantities, Los Angeles also has the largest population of food insecure people in the United States (5).

Coming a week after Earth Day 2017 celebrations, Feeding the 5000 offers Angelinos a chance to come together and discover how to take food waste off the menu across their city and help meet the national target to halve food waste by 2030 (6). Action to target food waste has already begun, with a recent Los Angeles city council commitment to sustainable waste management through Zero Waste LA (7).

Carina Millstone, Executive Director of Feedback said:

"Every piece of food that is never eaten represents an item on a growing environmental cheque - and with 40% of food never reaching human mouths and going to waste instead, that's adding up to a sizeable bill the planet simply cannot afford to pay. Putting an end to food waste is one of the most straightforward and single greatest step businesses and residents can take to help preserve the environment and conserve precious water. That's why Feedback is delighted to join together with partners across LA to support the city's plans to take food waste off the menu, now and in the future."   

With the participation of partners across LA, the support of The Rockefeller Foundation, and hosted by Feedback, an environmental non-profit organization based in London dedicated to ending food waste at every level of the food system, the event will showcase city-wide solutions to food waste, such as urban agriculture and composting, as well as hosting chefs and speakers, including Tristram Stuart, founder of  Feedback and international food waste campaigner. Feedback has previously hosted Feeding the 5000 events in cities across the US, including New York City, Denver, Portland (Maine), Washington DC and Oakland.

"Wasted food is everyone's problem, which means we all have a role to play in reducing it. Events like Feeding the 5,000 and the Los Angeles Food Bowl help people understand their potential for big impact, even by making small changes in their everyday lives," said Devon Klatell, Associate Director, The Rockefeller Foundation. "We're going to need that kind of community-wide engagement for cities around the country to meet ambitious waste reduction targets like Los Angeles' Zero Waste plans."

Join us downtown in Pershing Square on May 4, 11am-4pm, for the chance to celebrate the delicious solutions to food waste, LA-style. 

Notes to editor: 

1. One quarter of all freshwater used in the US is accounted for by food waste (Hall KD, Guo J, Dore M, Chow CC (2009) The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and Its Environmental Impact. PLoS ONE 4(11): e7940. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0007940). California accounts for 10% of US freshwater withdrawals.
2. Feedback is a non-profit environmental organization (UK Registered Charity No: 1155064) that campaigns to end food waste at every level of the food system. Feedback catalyzes action on eliminating food waste globally, working with governments, international institutions, businesses, NGOs, grassroots organizations and the public to change society's attitude toward wasting food. http://www.feedbackglobal.org
3. The Los Angeles Times has a major new food festival in May 2017. FOOD BOWL will celebrate L.A.'s dynamic and influential food scene while promoting awareness about food waste and hunger. See more at https://lafoodbowl.com/
4. Statistic from 'Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill', by the Natural Resources Defense Council: https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf
5. Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap 2015
6. On September 16, 2015 the United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency announced the first ever domestic goal to reduce food loss and waste by half by 2030: https://www.epa.gov/sustainable-management-food/united-states-2030-food-loss-and-waste-reduction-goal
7. Zero Waste LA is a new public private partnership designed to address the 3-million tons of waste disposed annually by businesses, consumers and residents. http://www.recyclingtoday.com/article/los-angeles-zero-waste-la-franchise/

Feeding the 5000 partner details: 

Hosted by Feedback, the meal will be prepared by L.A. Kitchen, with ingredients sourced by Food Forward and Alma Backyard Farms, and the event is produced and features partners including:

LA Food Policy Council, Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Food Finders, Kiss the Ground, Waste Not Want Not Now, Hunger Action Los Angeles, So Cal 350, Fallen Fruit, Tree People,St. Francis Center, L.A. Compost, Downtown Women's Center, Don't Waste L.A., Swipe Out Hunger, Alma Backyard Farms and Council member Jose Huizar.

Additional Events:  

Monday 1^st May  
Gleaning, 11-12.30am - Alma Backyard Farms
Volunteers will head to Alma Backyard Farms, where the formerly incarcerated are empowered and reintegrated through programs in urban farming, food sharing with families in need and horticultural therapy. There they'll glean fruit and vegetables to be part of the Feeding the 5000 feast, while learning about the work of Alma.

Tuesday 2^nd May  
Disco Chop, 3-10pm - L.A. Kitchen
Join us to chop (fruit and veg) and bop (to the beat) at Feeding the 5000 LA's fun-filled Disco Chop, where volunteers join the organisers to prepare the delicious ingredients for cooking the next day while dancing to some great tunes from our in-house DJ. Meet the organisers, volunteers and chefs.

Wednesday 3^rd May 
Food preparation - L.A. Kitchen
Chef Ryan Stewart at L.A. Kitchen will lead the preparation of a delicious vegetarian pozole to feed thousands at Pershing Square the next day.

Thursday 4^th May  
Feeding the 5000 LA - Pershing Square, 11am-4pm

For more information and schedule visit: http://www.feedingthe5000usa.org/losangeles/

@feedbackglobal  #f5kUSA #offthemenu

To arrange interviews or for more information: 

Ciara Low - [email protected] - +1-401-601-5249

Jessica Sinclair Taylor - [email protected] - +44-77878-26709

SOURCE Feedback