“It was an event of Biblical proportions,” explained London`s Food for All Director Parasuram das. “We had 2 hours to distribute 5000 plates of prasad at Trafalgar Square, London. It seemed impossible but about 40 volunteers turned up to help serve and the day before we had 30 at Bhaktivedanta Manor to chop vegetables. We cooked rice and subji and everybody loved their free lunch!”

The Bishop of London, the Mayor of London Mr Boris Johnson were among the celebrities who were helping to distribute the prasad. The event was to raise awareness of food waste in the UK. Perfectly good food gets thrown into landfills due to relatively minor faults such as having the wrong shape (as in the case of carrots and potatoes), or apples being too big or too small.

The event worked in conjunction with leading charities including Friends of the Earth, Fairshare and Foodcycle. ISKCON’s Food For All is the Novillis recycling project of the year 2008 and 2009.

“Somehow or other everyone can manage to perform such a yajna (sankirtan) and distribute prasadam to the people in general. That is quite sufficient for this age of Kali. The Hare Krishna Movement is based on the principle: chant Hare Krishna mantra at every moment, both inside and outside of the temples, and, as far as possible, distribute prasadam. This process can be accelerated with the help of the state administrators and those who are producing the country’s wealth. Simply by liberal distribution of prasadam and sankirtan, the whole world can become peaceful and prosperous”. (SB 4.12.10, purport)