London hummus company tackling waste
London food waste startup ChicP is turning surplus fruit and vegetables into low calorie hummus.
Responding to the 40% of British crops rejected because of their shape and size and approximately 15 million tonnes of food thrown away every year in the UK, ChicP was founded by food waste entrepreneur Hannah McCollum to create a variety of sweet and savoury hummus from sustainable sources and imperfect fruit and vegetables, while supporting British farmers.
ChicP hummus is made from raw vegetables, adding extra nutritional benefits. All products are free from gluten, dairy and sugar, plus it promises fewer calories than other hummus products.
McCollum says, “Over the last nine years, I’ve cooked for catering and events companies and as a private chef in the UK and Europe. Having witnessed the colossal amounts of food waste at catering events, I felt driven to respond. While cooking as a private chef, time and time again I would convert leftover vegetable dishes into dips for the next meal.
“I’d never have started a company without it being sustainable. Most of my energy goes into my own company, but I’m also keen to encourage and work with other food waste reduction entrepreneurs.
“Launching on Tesco’s new crowdfunding platform Back It, I hope to raise £5,000 to help grow ChicP further to take production from my own kitchen to a factory and make it on a much larger scale.”
