More than 5,000 Greeks have eaten over two tons of fruit and vegetables rejected by food stores in an event that highlighted the waste of food in advanced societies.

People lined up in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Sunday to eat briam, a medley of vegetables cooked in large casseroles, as well as crepes and fruit salads.

The event was part of a global campaign called «Feeding5000.”

The organisers said they had received the vegetables from local farmers after they had been rejected by food stores, either because of their shape or because the stores decided to cancel contracts with the farmers.

They said the produce was perfectly edible and that about 30 percent of the annual global foodstuff production gets lost or wasted.

Source: AP