London Food Waste Startup ChicP Launches Tesco Backit Campaign to Turn Leftovers Into Hummus

ChicP, a food waste startup based in London, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Tesco Backit. The company is seeking£5,000 for its new system that turns surplus fruit and vegetables into low-calorie hummus.

The company, which was founded by food waste entrepreneur Hannah McCollum, aims to bring healthy dips to the food market. McCollum stated she decided to combine her creative cooking and eagerness to help prevent food waste by creating healthy hummus from imperfect fruit and vegetables. The hummus is made from raw vegetables, with extra nutritional benefits. All products are gluten, dairy, and sugar-free. It was also named the winner of the Best Convenience Food Innovation Award for the World Food Innovation Awards 2016.

McCollum shared:

“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. Who knows, one day you may even see it on the shelves of Tesco!”

She then added:

“Over the last 9 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. Nearly every day the question would be ‘What’s the dip of the day Hannah?!’”

ChicP is now stocked with Wholefoods, Fortnum & Mason, As Nature Intended, Sourced Market, Rude Health Cafe, Pickles of London and some smaller outlets in and around London. More stores including Harrods and Selfridges coming soon. The company’s Tesco Backit campaign is set to close mid-January.