- Charles was marking the second anniversary of his Coronation Food Project
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The King visited Fortnum & Mason's kitchens this afternoon to mark the second anniversary of his 'Coronation Food Project' - which has helped to rescue thousands of tonnes of excess produce to be redistributed to those in need.
A staggering eleven million extra portions have been delivered nationwide since the initiative was started in 2023, as a lasting legacy of Charles's ascent to the throne.
The monarch, 77, was particularly keen to address the urgent challenge of tackling hunger in vulnerable communities.
To strengthen the food distribution networks and ensure these resources reach the people who need it, £20 million has also been raised to supercharge efforts.
Commemorating the initiative, Charles made an appearance at the upmarket department store - a royal warrant holder - which provides daily food collections to the initiative from its Piccadilly store.
Last year alone, this amounted to the equivalent of approximately 10,200 meals.
He was today escorted by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock, Founder of the Coronation Food Project, and Dame Martina Milburn, the project's chair.
Inside, the King was shown a selection of some of the meals and products distributed, including everything from cereals to fresh meat and vegetables.
The King visited Fortnum & Mason's kitchens this afternoon to mark the second anniversary of his 'Coronation Food Project' - which has helped to rescue thousands of tonnes of excess produce to be redistributed to those in need.
Baroness Martina (right) and Dame Louise (left) showed the royal a selection of the meals and products that are distributed to those in need including lasagne, fresh meat and vegetables
The king met Charlie Bingham (pictured right) who spoke passionately about the work his eponymous firm does to reduce food waste
Heading straight to the kitchen, Charles met Felix Project chefs who had been producing canapés from surplus foodstuffs
The king chatted animatedly to the chefs about their work before posing for a photograph behind the counter, joking to photographers: 'Thank God I didn't have to drink a huge glass of beer for you all!'
He then talked to chief executives and senior leaders from Alliance Food Sourcing - a collaborative group which is leading to systemic change in the food production and retail sector as regarding the reuse of waste food.
Charles also spoke to representatives from food rescue charities including The Felix Project and FareShare, alongside manufacturers such as 2 Sisters Food Group and Greencore.
Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer were also present in conversations about how they plan to sustain momentum and build on the progress achieved over the past two years.
Among the culinary VIPs in attendance was Charlie Bingham, who spoke passionately to the King about the work his eponymous firm - which produces high quality, ready-meals for more than a million consumers a week - does to repurpose surplus foodstuffs from the cooking process, as well as unwanted finished meals.
He said afterwards: 'The waste each year from the food industry could feed three million people in the UK three meals a day. It's a huge issue which we have been doing our best to tackle for around eight years now.
'Using the leftover rice, say, from a chicken tikka masala, repackaging it and sending out to these food projects. Instead of congratulating ourselves as an industry for sending it to an anaerobic digester, we could be feeding people.
'What the King and the Royal Family do so well is using their extraordinary power to convene people.
'There are a lot of people doing good work in this field but it helps focus, galvanise and bring different groups and organisations together. It brings things up a notch or two. '
The king met with Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock, Founder of the Coronation Food Project (far left) and Dame Martina Milburn, the project's chair
King Charles was spotted at upmarket London food store Fortnum & Mason - a royal warrant holder - to mark the second anniversary of his Coronation Food Project
The King arrived at the store dressed in a smart black double breasted coat and braved the rain as he smiled and shook hands crowds gathered outside
His Majesty moved into the kitchen where Felix Project trainee chefs had been producing incredible canapés from surplus foodstuffs such as egg mayonnaise, milk buns and dainty sausage rolls.
The Felix Project is a key partner of the Coronation Food Project.
Charles was animated as he chatted to staff about their work before posing for a photograph behind the counter, joking to photographers: 'Thank God I didn't have to drink a huge glass of beer for you all!'
In a short speech Baroness Casey told him: 'Two years later there are 50 businesses involved… £20 million raised….and eleven million meals have been created by what you inspired, you began and what you launched two years ago, so we are enormously grateful to you. '
The King said: 'We are always enormously grateful to you and your experience.'
Handed an impact report about the project's work, he smiled and said: 'So this is proof?'
He added to the crowd: 'I am sorry to add to all your woes but there's still a great more to do.'
Downstairs on the ground floor of the store, the King shocked shoppers and tourists by walking around the confectionary stands, chatting happily, shaking hands and wishing people a Happy Christmas.
The King shocked London shoppers as he strolled in to the store to discuss food waste prevention initiatives
Following his time at Fortnum & Mason, Charles went on an impromptu walkabout outside near his State Bentley as people shouted his name
He also embarked on an impromptu walkabout outside near his State Bentley as wellwishers gathered nearby.
Speaking afterwards Dame Martina said: 'None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for His Majesty. It was his idea and he and the Queen both agreed this would be the project for their coronation.
'I think I literally got a call one Sunday morning asking would I look at food waste and see if something could be done about it and the Coronation Food Project was born.
'The King is always a huge draw, if he says he wants a meeting then people will attend. In fairness to those involved, such as the supermarkets and the manufacturers, it really fits in with what they want to do. So when you have those two things involved, it's a win win.
'As the King said, though, we still have a lot more to do. Food banks are telling us they are running out of food and yet we are still throwing so much away. This is a small step in the right direction. '
The UK wastes more than 10 million tonnes of food per year, while almost one in seven households lives with food insecurity.
The Coronation Food Project now operates hubs in Merseyside, Birmingham, and London. In addition, the Felix Food Factory in Deptford turns bulk surplus into nutritious products for community groups across the capital and beyond.
Through its grants programme, administered by King Charles III Charitable Fund, the Coronation Food Project has awarded £907,990 to 33 organisations tackling food waste and food insecurity nationwide, helping them scale their operations and amplify their impact.
Charlotte Hill OBE, Chief Executive of The Felix Project said: 'Thousands of community organisations rely on the food that is saved and circulated by FareShare and The Felix Project.
'So, it's vital that we find new ways of getting more surplus food into the system. The Coronation Food Project is doing just that, at a scale and pace which is quite extraordinary.'
