VOLUNTEERS will serve up 5,000 free curries from surplus produce to highlight the issue of food waste.

Brighton and Hove Food Partnership will feed the 5,000 on October 29 from more than a tonne of surplus food donated by local businesses and farms.

They will set up by The Level in Brighton and hand out the free grub to hungry passers-by.

Vera Zakharov, coordinator of Brighton and Hove Food Partnership, said: “Our free feast is for everyone, whether you want to tackle food waste at home, volunteer in your local community, put pressure on policymakers, or just appreciate a free, nutritious meal.

“If you like good food, care about your environment and want to join the movement to end food waste, come along.”

The city has 43 local projects tackling food waste, from food redistribution organisations to community composting schemes, surplus cafes and soup runs serving up community meals and awareness-raising campaigns.

Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas is backing the event.

She said: “Feeding the 5000 will, no doubt, be a fantastic event and I’m really pleased to see it taking place in Brighton.

“In the coming months I’ll be working with colleagues across the political spectrum to tackle food poverty and drastically cut the scandalous amount of food wastage we see in the UK.”

“Annually, food waste generates 3.3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas, which is contributing to an already warming world. If food waste was a country it would be the third largest carbon emitter after China and the US.

“Globally 10 per cent of rich countries’ greenhouse gas emissions come from growing food that is never eaten.”

The aim of the campaign is to encourage the public to try out new recipes in a bid to reduce food waste at home.

They will also be urged to get involved in local food waste projects, and to support campaigns tackling food waste.

Businesses will also be called on to do more to reduce their food waste and support local food projects through donations of surplus.

  • The event takes place at The Level from 11am to 3pm on Thursday October 29.