Craft brewery Toast Ale has released a new beer for Earth Day (which is actually three days this year – April 20 to 22), a global movement to transform our planet. The freshly brewed Mango IPA hopes to raise awareness of the environmental impact of our food system and inspire positive action to restore nature. It is also Stop Food Waste Day on 28 April.

A collaboration with UK veg box company Oddbox and fruit juice brand Flawsome, the beer’s focus is on how we can reverse biodiversity loss by fixing the food system – starting with food waste. Food production is the biggest contributor to climate change and biodiversity loss but one-third of all food is wasted.
Mango IPA is a limited edition brewed with surplus fresh bread (as is Toast’s signature style) and surplus mangoes that would otherwise have been wasted. This prevents food waste and reduces the environmental footprint of the beer.
Why is there surplus fruit? Sometimes there is more available than the retailers order (trees take years to grow and produce fruit so it is not possible to grow to order). Sometimes the fruit is too small, too big, the wrong shape or colour.
For this beer, Oddbox sourced the ‘too many’ and Flawsome sourced and pulped the wonky.
Toast’s beer is the fourth of its Rise Up series, which raises awareness about the environmental impact of our food system and celebrates the benefits to us all by supporting better, healthier ways of producing our food.
The beer’s label carries an important message about biodiversity: ‘Industrial food production is destroying and polluting habitats, contributing to the mass extinction of species. But one-third of food is wasted. By reducing food waste and restoring nature, we can protect the diverse web of life on which we all depend’.
Beer lovers can do their bit by enjoying a cheeky pint. It is a 5.5% juicy India Pale Ale with a smooth mouthfeel, lightly spiced to lift the sweetness of the mangos and oats. All profits going to the environmental charity Feedback to support campaigning work leaving the sweetest of after tastes.
People can also write to their MPs (there is an easy to use form at toastale.com/riseup) to ask for food to be on the agenda at the COP26 UN Climate Change conference in November.
Toast’s co-founder and chief operating officer Louisa Ziane, explained: ‘We are really happy to be collaborating with our B Corp friends Oddbox and Flawsome to create a delicious beer that prevents mangoes from being wasted. We love to celebrate positive solutions to big problems and ultimately reducing food waste is the simplest, most equitable action we can all be part of.’
Heather Lynch, Oddbox's sustainability manager, said: ‘We are delighted to be partnering with Toast Ale and Flawsome. Food waste accounts for around 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Restore Our Earth’, focusing on innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems – we believe that ensuring that all food grown is eaten is the simplest place to start. Our Mango IPA proves how delicious that can be.’
Karina Sudenyte, co-founder of Flawsome!, said: ‘Food waste is a huge problem and is one of the reasons we started Flawsome!. We have a five year mission to save 20 thousand tonnes of surplus and wonky fruit so by partnering with ToastAle and Oddbox our joint vision will bring us one step closer to making that happen.’
The beers will be available at toastale.com from 22 April (from £3.50 per 440 ml can) and at independent retailers.


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