Organisation type
Charity/third sector
Sector
Environment and sustainability
Food and nutrition
Service
Every Halloween, millions of pumpkins are bought, carved and then thrown away – wasting food, money and natural resources. Hubbub has been working to change this through its long-running Pumpkin Rescue campaign, which has steadily shifted public attitudes towards eating carving pumpkins.For 2022, Hubbub asked us to help expand the reach and impact of the Eat Your Pumpkin campaign. The aim was to accelerate environmental behaviour change by raising awareness of seasonal food waste and motivating more people to cook and eat their pumpkins rather than bin them.
Ahead of Halloween, we commissioned polling of 2,000 UK residents to understand behaviours and barriers. The findings were stark: more than half of the 39.9 million pumpkins set to be bought were likely to end up as waste, representing £32.6 million of discarded food.
The insights also revealed an opportunity. With the cost-of-living crisis prompting many households to make food go further, people were open to practical, money-saving tips. But key barriers persisted — including not knowing how to cook pumpkin, limited time and low confidence in storing leftovers.
We used these insights to shape a targeted, behaviour-led campaign focused on families with young children and people aged 16–24. Messaging addressed real-world obstacles, offering simple recipes, storage hacks and step-by-step guidance on cooking and freezing pumpkin flesh.
The approach combined national media, digital content, influencer partnerships and community events to normalise eating carving pumpkins and make action feel easy and worthwhile.
The campaign reached audiences at unprecedented scale, helping to mainstream the idea that carving pumpkins can and should be eaten. National online coverage shared Hubbub’s polling, tips and recipes across high-traffic outlets, while a broadcast day with chef Lesley Waters secured multiple BBC interviews and repeat airtime.
Digital engagement grew significantly, with strong interaction on social channels and a sharp rise in visits to Hubbub’s website for recipe inspiration. Regional cook-and-carve events also brought the message to life, supporting households to build new habits around seasonal food.Together, these activities strengthened public understanding of food waste and encouraged more people to take simple, practical steps to reduce their environmental impact.
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