Call for 50,000 signatures to reduce Irish food waste

Foodcloud, a new organisation that matches surplus food with people who need it, has called on people to sign a national pledge to reduce Ireland's food waste.

It is seeking 50,000 signatures because if 50,000 people reduced food waste by one kilogram per week, it would save just over €1 million. This would provide more than 5.7 million meals.

Iseult Ward, co-founder of Foodcloud said at least one million tonnes of food in Ireland and almost 1.3 billion tonnes worldwide was wasted every year.

“To put that in context, one in every four calories produced from food in the world, is wasted,” she said. “We want Irish people to think about how they can reduce this waste. With such a rich food and agricultural heritage, it makes sense that as a nation, we commit to this.”

To raise awareness, the Foodcloud Feast will take place at Smock Alley Theatre in Temple Bar on April 2nd. Chef and author Sophie Morris will cook a three-course banquet using ingredients that would be rejected by supermarkets and restaurants.

RTÉ broadcaster Philip Boucher Hayes will also chair a discussion about food waste with panellists including Dublin Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn, the EPA's Odile Le Bolloch and Conor O'Malley of Meade Potato Company.

The pledge can be signed at foodcloud.ie.