Eat Your Pumpkin
Isn’t it weird that millions of pumpkins still go to waste each Halloween, carved but not eaten? The humble pumpkin is meant to be eaten, but this is often overshadowed by its role as a Jack o’ Lantern – in fact, many people still don’t know carving pumpkins are edible. Now that you do, are you ready to eat yours?
Scare off the food waste this Halloween
1) Smaller is sweeter
Did you know that carving pumpkins are grown for size, not taste? Squash the myths and choose a smaller pumpkin this year, it'll be tastier to eat. Check out our tips on choosing a pumpkin.
2) Pimp your pumpkin
Carving is so last year... Decorate to cut the waste, skip the mess and save the stress. It'll keep your pumpkin fresher for longer, so you can carve it when you're ready to eat. Want some inspo? Here are our favourite ways to pimp your pumpkin.
3) Eat your pumpkin
It's simple - eat your pumpkin, everything but the stalk. Find out more about how to eat your pumpkin, or jump straight in with our cauldron full of recipes, from savoury dishes to sweet treats.
In 2023...
- Our call to ‘Eat Your Pumpkin’ messaging reached people 18 million times (a 28% increase from 2022) and inspired them to give their gourds a delicious second life
- 9.2k people attended pumpkin community events to rescue, cook, and eat pumpkins, saving over 28 tonnes of pumpkins from the bin
- People who saw or heard our messaging were 2 x more likely to decorate and 3 x more likely to eat their pumpkin than those who didn't
- The number of pumpkins not eaten reduced from 22.2m during Halloween 2022 to 12.2m during Halloween 2023
Eat Your Pumpkin is supported by the 5p Cup Charge. In 2018 Starbucks introduced a 5p charge on single-use cups in the UK. The 5ps are donated to Hubbub to run campaigns that build stronger, greener communities.
Isn't it weird that nearly half of Halloween costumes are thrown away after one wear?
Thankfully there's many ways to get creative and put together a halloween costume that will save you money, time and help the planet.
Isn't it weird that a third of all food produced globally is wasted?
Food waste goes beyond just pumpkins. Enter the Community Fridge Network, cutting food waste and supporting communities across the UK.