Over 120 thousand meals recovered, for a total value of over 492 thousand euros, equal to approximately 52 tons of waste (corresponding to over 113 bins) and the emission of approximately 220 tons of CO2. Not to mention the consumption of water, energy and land that would have been necessary to prepare those meals. These are the main results obtained in the last 13 years by the Bologna-based multiutility, through the FoodFriend project, and disseminated on the occasion of the National Food Waste Prevention Day on Saturday 5 February.
The initiative, born in 2009 thanks to Hera's collaboration with Last Minute Market – a social enterprise and spin-off company of the University of Bologna – made it possible to donate meals to people in need, through non-profit organizations in the area. In the light of the positive results achieved, CiboAmico, which has so far involved five Emilia-Romagna canteens of the multi-utility (Bologna, Granarolo dell'Emilia, Imola, Rimini and Ferrara), from this year will also be extended to that of Ravenna. In Ferrara alone, to date, it has been possible to recover over 21 meals, for a total value of nearly 90 euros.
How does it work? CiboAmico recovers, in full compliance with all the hygiene and health standards, the uneaten meals from the company canteens of the Bologna multi-utility: in 2021 more than 9.700 meals were recovered (4,3 tons of food, equal to over 40 thousand euros) in favor of five local non-profit organizations that assist 95 people in difficulty.
A saving that has allowed the local non-profit organization involved, Viale K Association of Ferrara, to invest the resources thus released in other projects. The Association deals with the withdrawal of food surpluses and their daily redistribution to the beneficiary institutions: Casa Mambro and the canteen in via Gaetano Pesci.
