Retrieve uneaten meals in company canteens and distribute them to non-profit organizations in the area involved in assisting people in difficulty. This is the noble initiative launched by Hera, the Bologna multi-utility, through the CiboAmico project. On the occasion of the National Food Waste Prevention Day, which falls on Friday 5 February, Hera has decided to communicate the results 12 years after the launch of the campaign, which took place in 2009: in this period of time, around 110.000 meals were recovered, equal to 48 tons of non-wasted food and given to the needy, i.e. the equivalent of the overall capacity of over a hundred bins. The economic value of savings exceeded a total of 450.000 euros.
Currently CiboAmico involves five Hera company canteens in the Emilia-Romagna region: Bologna, Granarolo dell'Emilia, Imola, Rimini and Ferrara. The meals are recovered in compliance with all the hygiene and health standards envisaged and donated to non-profit organizations in the area that give hospitality and assist people in difficulty on a daily basis. "The project - explains the company - is designed with a view to combating food waste and the transition to a circular economy, with the guarantee of social, economic and environmental benefits". The non-profit organizations of the area involved participate in the success of the project: Christian Fraternity Work of Father Marella (OPM) in Bologna and Granarolo, the Pope John XXIII Community Association (APG23) in Rimini, the Viale K Association in Ferrara and, since 2020, the Mano Tesa Social Cooperative based in Imola.
“In Italy – comments Filippo Bocchi, director of shared value and sustainability of the Hera Group – food waste is worth almost 12 billion euros a year. Hera provides its contribution to combating this phenomenon thanks to the CiboAmico project which for 12 years has made it possible to recover uneaten food in the canteens of its offices. Even in a difficult year like the one that has just ended, with CiboAmico we have managed to guarantee a meal every day for about 120 people in financial difficulty. We have also put in place other initiatives aimed at preventing the production of waste, and which aim to reduce waste, to which all citizens can contribute and which allow for the creation of a network of solidarity in the area: 'Change the Finale' for starters the reuse of bulky waste still in good condition and 'FarmacoAmico' for the collection and reuse of non-expired medicines”.
