Slow Food Youth Network joins together for the first World Disco Soup Day

The event will take place all around the globe aiming to raise awareness on food waste

The youth of Slow Food joins forces on April 29, 2017 for the first World Disco Soup Day ever organized. The event is an initiative of Slow Food Youth Network and aims to fight food waste. While part of the population suffers from hunger, every year one-third of the food intended for human consumption is thrown away: meaning 1.3 billion of tons of still edible food become garbage. At the same time, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), we only produce enough food to supply the world’s growing population until 2050. So, clearly, we have a big contradiction in front of us.

The Disco Soup is an action to fight against food waste in which volunteers are invited to collect, wash, clean, cut and cook leftover food (usually referring to the leftover food from a farmer’s market) or any food that would go to waste—for example for not conforming to the commercial aesthetic standards. Moreover, it is a gastronomic, artistic and musical event that brings together young people, students, children, elderly, cooks and all the supporters of this battle against food waste. It is also a transformation tool that brings together diverse knowledge for education and awareness.

At present, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Netherlands, Nigeria, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay, the United Kingdom and the United States are hosting events.

At European level, Slow Food is taking multiple actions to raise the awareness of food waste and joined the petition promoted by This Is Rubbish to halve Europe’s food waste by 2030. Martin Bowman, Campaigner from This Is Rubbish, said: “Following massive pressure from over 64,000 people and over 50 organizations from 18 EU countries, in March the European Parliament made the landmark decision to vote in favor of targets to halve EU food waste by 2030, from farm to fork, and called on the Commission to review making these targets binding by 2020. But these ambitious plans are now under threat from the European Council, which looks set to try to water down the Parliament’s proposals. There are about 55 million people in food poverty in Europe – and the food wasted throughout the continent could feed them more than nine times over. Globally, if food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest carbon emitter after the US and China. That’s why on World Disco Soup Day, we call on EU Environment Ministers, the European Council and Commission to unite behind the Parliament’s ambitious proposals, to halve EU food waste. We need EU food waste reduction targets that are binding so that they’re taken seriously by member states.”

More information about the event can be found at the World Disco Soup Day Official Event Page and on the interactive map.

For further information you can contact the event’s area coordinators:

General Coordinator: Caio – [email protected]

Latin America : Caio and Gabriela – [email protected]

North America : Lauren – [email protected]

Africa : John –  [email protected]g

Europe : Jorrit – [email protected]

Asia/Oceania: Megumi –[email protected]

Slow Food International Press Office

[email protected] – Twitter: @SlowFoodPress

 Slow Food is a global grassroots organization that envisions a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good for them, good for those who grow it and good for the planet. Slow Food involves over a million activists, chefs, experts, youth, farmers, fishers and academics in over 160 countries. Among them, a network of around 100,000 Slow Food members are linked to 1,500 local chapters worldwide, contributing through their membership fee, as well as the events and campaigns they organize. As part of the network, more than 2,400 Terra Madre food communities practice small-scale and sustainable production of quality food around the world.