The Real Junk Food Project was founded by chef Adam Smith, who opened the UK’s first ever ‘pay as you feel’ cafe in Armley, Leeds, allowing customers to pay what they wanted for the food they ate. Anyone who couldn’t afford to pay was given a meal anyway in an attempt to help the homeless and those saving money.  

When the Real Junk Food Project launched, it was estimated that the UK was wasting 15 million tonnes of food every year, enough to feed the entire UK population one meal a day for 14 months. 

By 2016 the project had launched more than 120 ‘pay as you feel’ cafes across the country, forging partnerships with schools, universities, community centres and churches. 

Shortly after gaining nationwide attention in 2019 the Real Junk Food Project began to collaborate with numerous major supermarkets and wholesalers across the UK, including Morrisons, Asda, Tesco and M&S. 

During the Covid 19 Pandemic, food poverty within the UK rose dramatically. An estimated 4.7 million adults experienced food insecurity. According to Ipsos, one in seven people in Britain faced hunger in what was a modern record high. 

During Covid, the Real Junk Food Project was forced to adapt, launching new doorstep deliveries for vulnerable residents as well as community kitchens. 

Since the end of Covid, the Real Junk Food Project has continued its excellent work, decentralising to allow local branches full autonomy over their own projects. 

Initiatives like The Real Junk Food Project offer people the opportunity to rebuild not only financially, but socially and emotionally too. For many customers, the support network provided offers security and stability, as well as a sense of community and friendly support. 
For those interested in supporting their local branch of the initiative, more information can be found here.