King Charles’s anti-food waste project has saved 940 tonnes of food over the past 12 months – equivalent to more than two million meals.
It has also raised millions of pounds and partnered with major supermarkets including Waitrose, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and M&S.
This week the King will celebrate turning 76 in a new food waste distribution centre – as aides say the project’s success brings him ‘genuine joy’ after a ‘challenging year’ of health struggles.
The Coronation Food Project was launched on his 75th birthday last year to cut food waste and tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
It has since brought in food industry giants to donate leftover food, packaging and spare transport vehicles.
Charities then send fresh meals to people in need, saving an estimated 2,240,000 meal portions.
Companies like Nestle, Warburtons and Arla have also joined the initiative, working with charities FareShare and the Felix Project.
The project has also given grants worth £715,000 to 33 community food groups across the UK.
This includes the food waste charity UKHarvest, which donates meals to schools that would otherwise be wasted, and the East Belfast Mission, which stores fresh food that local families can collect for free.
The Coronation Food Project also plans to create up to ten special ‘food hubs’ to redistribute meals to those in need.
To do this, they have raised a whopping £15 million through private donations.
This is on top of the ‘substantial’ personal donation, reportedly a six-figure sum, gifted by King Charles on his 75th birthday.
The money has funded the first two Coronation Food Hubs, which Charles will open on Thursday when he turns 76.
Charles will visit the first, based in London, on Thursday to host a ‘surplus food festival’, which celebrates meals created from leftovers like vegetable curry, soup and pasta dishes.
The King himself is known to hate any food waste and will eat the same cake each day until it is finished.
At the food hub he will also inspect a new industrial freezer that can preserve 400 per cent more food.
King Charles will then ‘virtually’ open the second food hub, which is based outside of London.
It’s not the most glamorous birthday venue, but he is making up for that the night before with a star-studded reception at Buckingham Palace and a film premier for Gladiator II.
A palace source said: ‘For His Majesty, there could be no better way to mark his birthday than to celebrate the astonishing achievements of the Coronation Food Project in just one year since its launch.
‘He’s not a great one for wanting personal fuss or fanfare, but this celebration will bring him a day of genuine joy after what has, of course, been a challenging year for him on a personal level.’
Dame Martina Milburn, Executive Chair of the Coronation Food Project, added: ‘I can’t quite believe what’s been achieved in just a year. Seeing the massive new warehouses, fridges and freezers that will soon be stacked with surplus food and distributed to people in real need is incredible – especially as we head towards winter.
‘It seems fitting to be launching the first two Coronation Food Hubs on the King’s birthday because, quite honestly, none of this would have happened without his inspiration and leadership.’