One third of food produce ends up being thrown away. While in many places around the world people are still facing hunger and even in Slovenia some can hardly afford the most basic goods, 72 kilograms of food are still being discarded per capita in Slovenia. An initiative called the Week of Undiscarded Food has decided to raise awareness about this problem of the modern society, aiming to show that it is possible to decrease the quantity of discarded food in merely one week and create habits that would reduce these quantities in the long run. The opening took place on the Pogačar Square and featured a famous guest, Europe’s best chef Massimo Bottura.
“We have great surpluses of food in some places of the world on the one hand and severe famine in many other regions. Food brings us pleasure, but we also need to respect it and throw away less of it. That is why I support local initiatives such as the Week of Undiscarded Food, which contribute to this goal,” emphasized Bottura in his opening speech. The renowned chef has proven his determination to address the issue of discarded food through many media-covered events. During the Olympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, Bottura brought together like-minded cooks, who then prepared first-rate dishes from the remains of food in the Olympic village for thousands of people in favelas. Helped by 210 chefs and 600 volunteers, the famous chef and his Food for Soul organisation have “saved” more than 25 tonnes of food produce that would have otherwise ended up in waste bins.
The Week of Undiscarded Food will end on 2nd June. From Saturday the 27th to Wednesday the 31st, culinary workshops on how to cook without discarding food will take place between 11am and 1 pm on the Pogačar Square.
A. K. MMC; translated by K. Z.
