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Weekly Short
28 October, 2022
We’ve discovered the scariest thing about Halloween and it isn’t ghosts, ghouls or gory clowns. It’s the frightening fact that around 22.2 million pumpkins bought to make jack o’ lanterns will go to waste every year. Pumpkins bought for the purpose of carving have their innards and guts pulled out and simply thrown away. What’s worse, once Halloween is over, the carved carcasses are also thrown in the bin.
This spooky story of uneaten pumpkins inspired the good people at Hubbub to start The Pumpkin Rescue Campaign in 2014. The campaign aims to save pumpkins from the bin by shifting attitudes towards eating them. They suggest pumpkin pies, soups and even pumpkin pasta. Through community events and social media, The Pumpkin Rescue Campaign has changed attitudes towards eating pumpkins nationally from 42% of the population thinking you can eat your pumpkin to 59% in 2022.
If you would like to join the campaign and reduce food waste, all you need to do is eat your pumpkin and spread the word. Hubbub have provided a number of eerie-sistable recipes which aim to inspire you to use every bit of your pumpkin. So don’t feel you need to miss out on the spooky fun but make sure you #EatYourPumpkin too!
By Ash Werner