PICTURES: New community initiative aims to tackle food waste in Nairn
A NEW community initiative to help reduce food waste has been launched in Nairn.
Nairn FoodNest, located at the Old Parish Church, inaugurated a new community larder and fridge. Volunteers will collect produce which has reached its “best before” date from local shops and make it available for people to pick up as when they need it.
Church treasurer William Wordie said: “The congregation at Old Parish Church were looking at doing some outreach programme, and community fridges are growing across the UK so we decided to go down that route. “Community fridges are different from food banks, they exist to address the issue of food waste and foster the spirit of sharing and supporting the community.
“It’s about more than just fridge items – most of the items are fruit and vegetables to alleviate food waste.
“We are hoping to expand the project in the future, maybe adding a freezer to expand the range of items we can offer.”
The FoodNest is part of the UK network Hubbub, which has provided funding and support to the group of volunteers in building the facility.
The larder saw a “soft opening” in the past two weeks, for the group to better understand how it works and to address any teething issues.
Volunteers will also be provided with food safety training.
Mr Wordie added: “We are looking to really push now on social media and to have a bigger presence up and running.
“Fiona Nichols and Corinne Ferguson – who works with Nairn Eco – are two key people in setting up the project.
“We have volunteers of all ages.
“From a young person’s point of view having a Food Safety Certificate can be of help when finding work in hospitality or retail.”
Nairn FoodNest is currently run by around 12 to 15 volunteers with people managing the larder, doing a rota for collecting food from the supermarkets and also repurposing and composting any items that have started deteriorating.
Anyone willing to get involved can contact Nairn FoodNest at nairnfoodnest@gmail.com.
The hub will be open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.
