Fighting food waste at Christmas: turkey LEG UP campaign returns

As we approach the festive season, it’s time to revisit a widespread issue that often gets overlooked amid all the Christmas cheer. Food waste. The UK is the highest waste producer in Europe, even though 8.4 million people in the UK are facing food poverty. A significant portion of our yearly food waste, totalling 4.5 million tonnes, occurs during the Christmas season. Everything from leftover turkey to mince pies are meeting an untimely fate in the bin, despite being perfectly fit to eat.

At Field & Flower, our commitment to reducing food waste is not just a buzzword. It is a fundamental part of our ethos. We are passionate about connecting people with delicious, quality food directly from local farmers, but a few years ago we noticed an annual food waste crisis happening in our industry. As suppliers in this industry, we feel a responsibility to take every possible measure to safeguard our food from needless wastage.

Turkey LEG UP Campaign 2023

With 70% of the 10 million turkeys bought at Christmas as a crown or a pre-prepared joint, it is estimated that a staggering 14 million turkey legs go to waste each year. That’s 7,000 tonnes of meat– enough to fill 290 artic lorries.

For Christmas 2022, we partnered with FareShare South West, a charity who are playing a vital role in addressing food poverty and reducing food waste across the South West of England. With them, we launched our Turkey LEG UP campaign, pledging to purchase and donate the remaining turkey legs for every free-range Bronze Turkey Crown sold by us at Christmas to people suffering from food poverty. With your help, we bought and donated over 250 pairs of turkey legs, nearly 400kg of meat to vulnerable people who may not have had access to Christmas dinner. Not to mention, we also made a huge impact in supporting our local farmers by tackling the seasonal surplus turkey leg problem.

This year, we’re excited to announce our turkey LEG UP initiative is back for Christmas 2023. Given the persistent challenges posed by the cost-of-living crisis, we’re hoping to increase our contribution by donating even more pairs of legs to Fare Share compared with last year.

Our free-range bronze turkey legs produce a lot of delicious meat and are enough to feed 2-3 people who might not have access to a Christmas dinner. When you consider that they also reduce food waste, reduce our environmental footprint, and support free-range farmers, this underappreciated cut has the power to do a lot of good. The slightly darker meat is both tender and full of flavour. No dry turkey meat here. There’s also plenty to go around, and so our free-range turkey legs are listed on our website for you to enjoy this Christmas.

Navigating the Cost-of-Living Crisis

We recognise that this year, there are many extra families and communities across the UK who are grappling with the cost-of-living crisis, which has placed extra financial strain on households. As prices for essentials like groceries, fuel, and housing continue to rise, many are finding it difficult to make ends meet. By diverting turkey legs from waste to people in need, we aim to alleviate some of the burdens brought about by rising living costs.

On behalf of us at Field & Flower and the team at FareShare South West, thank you for your continued support.

This Christmas, join our mission to create a world where there is less food waste, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of people facing poverty in our community when you buy one of our free-range Bronze Turkey Crowns or Joints.