LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Britain’s King Charles celebrates his 75th birthday on Tuesday and will use the occasion to launch a new plan to fight food poverty and reduce waste.

The king, who has campaigned for environmental and economic sustainability for more than five decades, will officially present the “Coronation Food Project”, his mission to prevent people from going hungry.

“The need for food is as real and pressing a problem as food waste – and if a way can be found to bridge the gap between the two, it would address two problems at once,” wrote Carlos in an article for the Big Issue. “, a magazine usually sold by homeless people.

“I really hope the Coronation Food Project will find a practical way to do just that – rescue more surplus food and distribute it to those who need it most.”

Together with his wife, Queen Camilla, Charles will spend his birthday visiting surplus food distribution centers. He will be meeting with major supermarkets in the UK to see how his project can help redistribute food that would otherwise go to waste.

According to the project, 14 million Britons face food insecurity, and rising living costs have pushed more people into food poverty. The charity said there had been a 38% increase in the number of people turning to food banks for the first time in the year to March 2023.

King, who hosted an event on Monday for other people and organizations who also turned 75, will also hold a reception on Tuesday to recognize the work of nurses and midwives, as part of events marking 75 years of the National Nursing Service.

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Spanish editing by Ricardo Figueroa)