Youth Food Movement’s latest project, CropFest, is taking a leaf out of singer Lorde‘s book this week, teaching the Australian foodie scene that it’s OK to have flaws!
CropFest is about the perfectly wonky fruit and vegetables that are currently thrown out by the tonne in Australia due to consumer ideas and marketing messages about what our groceries should look like. About 20-40% of all fruits and vegetables are actually rejected from sale due to the appearance quality standards of the grocery stores, meaning that a whole lot of waste is being created, affecting the bottom line of farmers across Australia. And of course this is a global problem!
The CropFest event was created to educate people across Australia and hopefully get people to buy perfectly edible imperfect produce. By raising awareness for this issue, YFM believes that it will minimise waste of produce and help farmers profit more from their yield.
Over 250 people participated in the event held at St. Mary’s Cathedral Square on March 28. Throughout the night, participants were able to learn from culinary classes on how to transfer wonky vegetables into tasty treats. They were able to contribute to discussions, and chill out in lounges listening to live local music. And, there wasn’t a leftover in sight – the extra meals were donated directly to Australian food recovery charity OzHarvest, being supplied to those who would otherwise go without good food.
See how you can get involved.
