Our story

We hosted our first ever food waste feast in London’s Trafalgar Square back in 2009. 

Thousands of people were introduced to the shocking levels of waste in our food system – while enjoying a delicious meal made entirely from food that would have otherwise gone to waste. That day sparked a global movement, inspiring similar events across Europe and resulting in long-lasting policy change on food waste. 

In 2013, we officially became a registered charity — founded by Tristram Stuart and Nikki Charalampopoulou to shine a light on food waste as not just a social scandal but an environmental tragedy too. 

Our work expanded under the leadership of Carina Millstone (Executive Director since 2017) and Frank Mechielsen (leading our work in the Netherlands since 2021).

What began as a campaign against food waste has grown into something bigger.

Foodrise now works across a range of issues confronting the structural drivers of injustice, exploitation, and environmental harm in our food system — from exposing the financiers of the global livestock industry, building partnerships with local fishers in West Africa affected by European aquaculture, to holding retailers to account for their food waste and advancing community-led alternatives across Sussex, Buckinghamshire, and the Liverpool City Region. All with an unwavering commitment to equity, justice and anti-oppression. 

In 2022, we launched Foodrise EU, our sister organisation dedicated to deepening our impact across the European Union — influencing EU food policy, supporting grassroots coalitions, and building alternative local food environments in the Netherlands. 

From legal challenges and hard-hitting research to supporting movements on the ground, our work now spans the UK, Europe, and globally.

Wherever we work, our mission is clear: to build a food system that is truly just and regenerative – for climate, nature, and justice.