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Campaign launched in Atherns to raise awareness on food waste

Xinhua, October 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

A different food festival was organized in the center of Athens on Sunday in an attempt to raise awareness on the serious issue of food waste in Greece and all over the world.

Under the cloudy Attic sky, Athenians had the opportunity to enjoy a delicious free meal using fresh fruits and vegetables discarded because of their appearance, as part of the global campaign "Feeding the 5,000" on Kotzia Square in front of the City Hall.

"Our chefs prepared mixed roasted vegetables, or briam as it is known in Greek cuisine, and a giant fruit salad for 5,000 people. We used ingredients which were going to be thrown away," Niki Charalampopoulou, Managing Director of Feedback explained to Xinhua.

Producers and distributors of vegetables and fruits have to throw away daily huge amounts of their production either due to their appearance, either because food chains and super markets return the unsold quantities.

"In such difficult times, where the ecological, economic and refugee crises prevail, it is unacceptable to allow such waste," Charampopoulou said.

For the "Feeding the 5,000" campaign in Athens the organizers gathered more than two tons of vegetables and fruits and decided to provide half of the amount to NGOs that support refugees in Athens, like the social kitchen "The Other Man" and "Boroume".

"We must learn to enjoy food instead of wasting it," Nasia Mpakopoulou who visited the event with her daughter told Xinhua. "Unfortunately, we do not know how to reduce waste. In our everyday life, a large amount of food ends up in the garbage," she added.

In global figures, food waste surpasses 30 percent from the shelves of a super market to a household. In Greece, each household throws away approximately 98 kg every year. So, the goal of the campaign is to put a stop on that.

"Feeding the 5,000" is a global campaign event -- organized by the charity organization Feedback -- to shine a light on the global food waste.

The first such event was held in London's Trafalgar Square in 2009. Since then the event has been held worldwide, from Paris to Dublin, Manchester, Sydney, Amsterdam and Brussels. Enditem