GREAT TASTE - ZERO WASTE Master Classes and Zero Waste Gourmet Dinners
In 2020, Rub & Stub was invited by the Danish Embassy in Riga and the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to be a key player in their ambitious project Great Taste Zero Waste. The project aimed to promote food waste reduction and sustainable practices within the restaurant and food sector in the Nordic and Baltic region.
During the project, Rub & Stub hosted a practical masterclass on food waste reduction for local chefs and a gourmet zero waste dining experience in Riga. We also participated in a conference on green thinking and minimizing food waste. In Tapa, we hosted another masterclass for kitchen staff from the NATO base, focusing on reducing food waste. Finally, we held one more gourmet zero waste dinner in Tallinn for local politicians, ambassadors, influencers, stakeholders, and food professionals.
The success of the project led to an invitation to return to Riga in 2020 to host another masterclass, gourmet zero waste dinner, and to give a talk at a big hybrid conference about sustainable practices in the food sector. Additionally, we contributed to a bring-home food waste kit for all participants, ensuring the continued spread of knowledge and practices to reduce food waste.
THE FOOD RESCUE
The Food Waste Project at Roskilde Festival
Since 2018, Rub & Stub has been responsible for The Food Rescue at Roskilde Festival. In close collaboration with the Food Bank and a team of around 100 volunteers, we collect, register, and process all surplus food from the festival. Subsequently, it is distributed to organizations that work with socially vulnerable individuals.
It is essential that we are resource-conscious in our food handling while ensuring that the recipients derive the maximum benefit. Non-perishable surplus items are not processed but distributed directly. Surplus items approaching their expiry date are processed and frozen to extend their shelf life. Therefore, we, for example, make béchamel sauce every year using the substantial surplus of milk.
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In 2019, we handled nearly 23 tons of surplus food, equivalent to approximately 57,000 meals.
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Our goal with this initiative is to minimize overall food waste at Roskilde Festival and assist socially vulnerable individuals by redistributing surplus food to them. Furthermore, the project serves as a strong and meaningful community for volunteers who are passionate about sustainability and social responsibility.
RUB & STUB
The Zero Food Waste Eatery
In August 2013, Rub & Stub - The Eatery opened its doors in the heart of Copenhagen. It was a pioneering concept in Europe, featuring menus entirely based on surplus produce and being primarily run by volunteers. The mission was simple: to raise public awareness of the massive issue of food waste by showing customers that high-quality restaurant food could be made from ingredients that would otherwise have been discarded.
At The Eatery, we were able to source surplus food and implement zero-waste concepts in our own production through various initiatives that aimed to prevent both plate and kitchen waste. We also made it a point to communicate the cause to our guests, encouraging them to take part in the fight against food waste.
The Eatery was a resounding success, with full tables every day and innovative menus that challenged traditional notions of what could be made with surplus produce. It played a key role in bringing food waste to the forefront of Danish society's attention.
In 2016, The Eatery closed, but Rub & Stub continued to build on the foundation we created. We remain committed to our mission of reducing food waste and spreading awareness of the issue, and continue to innovate in our efforts to achieve these goals.
YOUTH AGAINST FOOD WASTE at The Danish Folk High Schools
In 2016, Rub & Stub received substantial funding from the Danish Ministry of Food and Environment to develop, execute, and evaluate a program to reduce and raise awareness about food waste in a number of Danish Folk High Schools.
We designed and implemented workshops, talks, waste measuring activities, nudging campaigns, and food events in Danish Folk High Schools throughout 2017.
The project's primary goal was to reduce food waste generated at the schools in the short term while also inspiring and motivating students to become food waste ambassadors in their personal lives beyond their time at the school.
This project served as the foundation for our ongoing food waste workshop activities, which we continue to conduct in all types of schools even after completing this particular project.