King Charles marks two year anniversary of his UK food waste project

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's King Charles met charity leaders and supermarket bosses on Wednesday to celebrate a project to cut food waste and feed those in need which has distributed the equivalent of 11 million meals over the last two years.

Charles set up his Coronation Food Project in 2023, the year he was crowned king, with the aim of bringing together food producers and retailers with local community groups who provide meals for those who are hungry.

At the event in central London, Charles was shown meals made from surplus food, and met chefs from The Felix Project, a charity which takes fruit and vegetables which can no longer be sold and delivers them to food banks, schools and childcare groups.

While Charles, who turned 77 last Friday, is best known for his charity The King's Trust which supports vulnerable young people with education, training and employment, he is also very interested in the environment and conservation.

Through the Coronation Food Project, he hopes to put Britain's food system onto a more sustainable footing.

"Food need is as real and urgent a problem as food waste - and if a way could be found to bridge the gap between them, then it would address two problems in one," Charles said when he founded the project.

Back then, Britain's biggest supermarket groups including Tesco and Marks & Spencer signed a pledge to support Charles's idea, and retail executives were among those attending the event at luxury retailer Fortnum & Mason, another contributor.

Charles, who continues to undergo treatment for an unspecified form of cancer after his diagnosis was announced in February 2024, discussed how to keep up momentum for the project with food bosses.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Elizabeth Piper)