A campaign is calling on the city region’s business community to cut the waste from their events and raise £3million to help put better quality food on the tables of local communities.

Menu for Change Greater Manchester is the brainchild of Corin Bell from Open Kitchen, and it was launched last night in partnership with The Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF) and Marketing Manchester.

Menu for Change asks businesses to donate the funds saved through careful reductions in food ordering for events with the aim of raising the money in the next three years to support the development of shared community food growing projects, providing long-term, secure access to fresh food across the city-region.

Over a third of Greater Manchester households worry about affording food. In Manchester and Oldham, child poverty rates (45% and 44%, respectively) are among the highest in England. Demand for food banks has skyrocketed, yet donations are declining, leaving charities struggling to keep up.​

At the same time, the UK wastes over 10 million tonnes of food annually. Our unsustainable food system is a major environmental crisis, contributing to 30% of global carbon emissions.

Through the Menu for Change scheme, businesses can reduce waste to create impact, add a ‘virtual course’, round up the catering bill (per person or total) and donate the extra, make a one-off or recurring donations, and encourage guests on the day just to chip in.

Funds raised will be used to provide more nutritious produce to community food projects and channelled into the GMEF-run Greater Manchester Green Spaces Fund to support shared community food growing projects.

Daveen Wallis, Co-Founder of GMEF, said there was an urgent need for community food growing projects and access to nature for communities across the city-region.

She said: “Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester has already made this one of his priorities and over £3m has been put towards the GMEF’s ‘Green Space Fund’ grant programme, but more is needed.

“Shared community food growing projects provide fresh, hyper-local, sustainable produce, improve diets and access to nutritious food, reduce social isolation and boost mental health. It also enhances local air quality and creates more local green spaces.”

Open Kitchen will be piloting the initiative over the next six months, and driving support from businesses, food and drink organisations and event venues across the city.

For more information on Menu for Change go to https://www.openkitchenmcr.co.uk/menuforchange.