Sweden’s 1st rescued food catering service
How it began
Rude Food Malmö was registered as a not-for-profit association on May 2015, originally initiated as a citizen’s initiative by design researcher Zeenath Hasan at her kitchen project Tapori Tiffins in October 2014. A strong volunteer force drives the food rescue activity. When revenue levels allow it, a paid team manages the project, its kitchen and food saving work. Income from the catering activities are looped back into the running of the project.
How it is now
Rude Food has a shared kitchen with it’s own storage and working area at Folk Mat Mötet restaurant run by Titti Qvarnström. Our work hours in the kitchen depends on the catering requests we get.
Our Mission
One third of the food we grow in the world is thrown away.
This waste might be blemished ‘ugly’ veggies that don’t look presentable on the supermarket shelf, mislabeled food that is cheaper for the manufacturer to throw away than to correctly relabel or bread that is not considered being fresh because it was not sold the same day it was baked.
We identify food wastage points and work with food rescue partners to circulate their surplus back on to plates and put food where it needs to be – in people’s bellies.
Our Vision
At Rude Food we believe that there are no culprits, only engaged doers!
Awareness is the key to solving food waste relevant problems such as deforestation, overproduction, depletion of biodiversity etc. By emphasizing that catering is done from surplus food which would be thrown away otherwise, we bring attention to this global problem and make people evaluate their grocery shopping choices and everyday decisions.
We believe that every city should have its own food-surplus, recirculating kitchen. Rude Food is one such kitchen in Malmö, Sweden.
FAQ
Why do you charge normal price for the catering?
The resources needed to serve the catering are the same as a regularrestaurant with non-saved food. We are an NGO (non-profit organisation) which sustains on its own revenue. That means that we pay rent for kitchen, we buy our own equipment, we pay for labour when it is possible to sustain our working base by ourselves.
What does surplus means?
Surplus means that which is perfectly edible, but ends up in the trash or in landfills anyway. For example, it can be overproduction in the factory, too much food prepared for an event, too many bread loaves baked for a day.
Is the food expired? Do you check best before?
We follow food safety guidelines which states that we are not allowed to serve expired food. Surplus food means that it was grown/produced/prepared in an excess, not that it has gone over date of expiry.
How do you know that rescued food is safe to eat? Is it possible I might get sick?
The food we rescue with our suppliers is safe to eat. It is not expired and we ensure it is stored and handled as per food safety guidelines for our catering.
Is it legal what you do? Do you follow any food regulations? Do you report to the authority?
It is legal. Our work is monitored like any other restaurant and catering service by the food safety monitoring authorities. We work with approval from the Miljöförvaltningen.
What I can do to minimize food waste in my household/ my company/ my shop /my school/ my restaurants etc?
Do a mindful choice while buying food, planning or organizing an event. Spread awareness and knowledge. The biggest amount of food waste comes from factories and big companies, not people themselves. So question suppliers you are purchasing from on how they are dealing with their leftovers and surplus.
I just worked on a private event,there were many leftovers and I brought them home. But I need to do something today or tomorrow or it will go bad. Sandwiches and wraps. Any idea for whom I can donate to? Or areas of homeless people in Malmö?
We do not rescue cooked meals from sources (such as private events) that do not act in accordance to food safety guidelines set by food safety monitoring authorities. We can connect you to the organizations and group in Malmö that might be interested in rescuing cooked food. You can contact us for further information info@rudefood.se
You share a kitchen at MAT restaurant. Do you cook together? Does MAT use rescued food?
We rent a part of MAT restaurant’s kitchen facilities and are currently working on possible collaborations for the future. Currently, we have our own storage space and operate independently when it comes to food supplies and catering orders.