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Food Rescue at Taste of Carlow[/caption]We’ve had a Taste of Carlow and we loved it! We were hugely impressed with the variety of stands featuring Carlow fruit and homemade jams/chutneys, local ice cream, aloe vera products, arts and crafts and of course ourselves!Sitting on the banks of the Barrow River, between inquiries about what we do, I was mesmerized by the number of wild swans loitering along the shore. We also formally launched our ‘Food Rescue’ event, looking for local Carlow residents to get involved.[caption id="attachment_2792" align="alignright" width="300"]

Swans on the River Barrow[/caption]What is ‘Food Rescue’?We are looking for local champions in Carlow to help us lead the way in changing the mindset of householders in relation to food, adopting new waste reduction methods and involving the local community in a common challenge to reduce food waste.All this revolves around a community meal made out of ingredients that were destined to be thrown away because they were too close to their ‘use by’ dates, were bruised or over-ripe, or never made it to the shops because they were ‘ugly’.Along with our champions, we envision working with local food businesses ranging from food shops and restaurants to farmers and distributors. This will be a fun event which will be different for each locality.Join your neighbours in a community meal!Through Food Rescue, individuals and businesses will receive practical advice on how to reduce their own food waste and save money. Additionally, they can see for themselves that a wonderful meal can be made with ‘ugly’ food or food that is close to its use-by date. Additional fun activities are encouraged such as leftover food cooking demonstrations, recipe exchanges, apple pressing and ugly food competitions!Can I be involved? Absolutely!We are looking for Tidy Towns, GIY groups, Community Gardens, allotments and residents associations to be involved.We will educate & train local champions who will go on to share the message to others in their community.To find out more please contact VOICE or Fionnghuala Ryan, Environmental Awareness Officer, Carlow County Council Tel (059) 9136240 or email fryan@carlowcoco.ie