FOOD RESCUE, lunched during Discover University Open Week, attracted many visitors as HEiA members and NFCS students provided a pleasant display of savoury and sweet dishes, which were either made from leftover foods, or from foods which were past their prime or close to their use-by date.

FOOD RESCUE was organised in relation to the European Week for Waste Reduction 2013.

From simple home-made baked Chicken Nuggets, to the richer Soppa tal-Armla (Widow’s Soup) or Pudina tal-Hobz with a modern twist, the idea was to show how easy it is to prepare healthy and tasty foods with leftover, over-ripe or stale foods at hand.

Another section of the stand was dedicated to demonstrating the making of fruit and ‘green’ smoothies for visitors to sample. The green smoothie, made from lettuce, spinach, kale, herbs, fruit juices, ginger and ice was quite a hit with both young and old, and local and overseas visitors.

A leaflet on Food Rescue tips and a Food Rescue recipe booklet of the displayed and demonstrated recipes were also distributed. A frequently quoted statistic is that in developed countries about 40% of food waste occurs at the retail or consumer levels.

In other words, even in our homes, food is often wasted during storage, preparation and serving. Getting the most out of the food we buy should be a goal everyone strives for.

With this in mind, during the month of November 2013, Nutrition, Family & Consumer Studies (NFCS) student-teachers from the University of Malta’s Faculty of Education teamed up with Home Economists in Action (HEiA) to organise a campaign promoting less food waste.

Similar stands were also set up at the Farmers Markets in Birgu and Ta Qali on the following Saturdays -16th and 23rd November. Hundreds of visitors stopped by the stands, chatted with the Home Economics educators, shared their ideas and queries, sampled the smoothies and Pudina tal-Hobz and went home with their own set of educational materials.

The Food Rescue recipes have also been produced as a set of 10 videos as a collaborative three-generation initiative of NFCS / Home Economics lecturers, graduates and student-teachers. They are available on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/HEiAMalta/

The Food Rescue leaflet and recipes booklet are available in English and Maltese from the HEiA website: http://heiamalta.wix.com/home

Permalink: FOOD RESCUE – Information for waste reduction and creative preparation