Marking the finale of its Fresh Thinking Roadshow, appliance manufacturer Hotpoint has opened a pop-up café to highlight food waste. It is serving dishes inspired by the most commonly wasted food in the UK.

The Fresh Thinking Cafe forms part of Hotpoint’s ‘Fresh Thinking for Forgotten Food’ campaign, launched earlier in the year with brand ambassador Jamie Oliver.

Hotpoint opens pop-up café to highlight food waste with brand ambassador Jamie Oliver

PR and communications manager for Whirlpool UK Sara Bazeley commented: “It is a multi-million campaign across our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region. It’s the biggest investment in the Hotpoint brand in a decade.”

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She added:”It’s all about inspiring consumers to think differently about ‘forgotten foods’ in their fridge.

“Consumers have to be able to open the fridge, open their cupboards, and say ‘I’ve got this, this and this left, what can I do to create a fantastic meal for the family?’ There has to be a change from thinking ‘I’ve got one pepper left, there’s nothing I can do with it. I’m just going to have to throw it away’.”

The Fresh Thinking café will serve dishes made up from surplus ingredients, sourced from local suppliers, and will operate on a ‘pay-as-you-feel’ basis.

The company will also release a recipe book soon, featuring items from the Fresh Thinking café, which will be available from Hotpoint’s website.

Proceeds from the café and the book will be donated to FoodCycle, a charity that works to combat food waste, food poverty and loneliness.

Research commissioned by Hotpoint found that two-thirds of Brits worry about food waste, but admitted to buying fresh ingredients to replace edible food in the fridge.

It also revealed the three most wasted foodstuffs were bread, bagged salad and fresh vegetables.

Sara Bazeley said changing consumer perceptions towards food wastage was a long-term goal for the company: “We know we’re not going to change consumers’ mind-sets overnight, but it’s important for us to be looking ahead.

“It’s not just about Hotpoint as a manufacturer, though, food waste is a global issue and something where we all need to be playing our part.”

She concluded: “We know that individuals, themselves, need to make a change. But if we can give them some inspiration and encouragement to make that change, hopefully that mindset will come earlier.”