Italy will launch a project to help increase food donations and reduce food waste, the first such initiative to include the food industry, retail sector and consumers.
The three-year 'LIFE - Food Waste Stand Up' project is worth €1.5 million and is co-financed by the European Commission, which is contributing €1 million.
The partnership is led by Federalimentare (Italian Food & Drink Industry Federation) and includes Federdistribuzione (Italian Retailers Association), the Banco Alimentare charity and the UNC (National Consumers Union).
A national awareness and information campaign will be launched in January 2017, with the aim of raising awareness about the prevention of food waste and managing surplus along the supply chain by increasing donations.
The Minister of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies, Maurizio Martina, has highlighted the importance of the project, as it will provide new tools for combating food waste in Italy and increasing the amount of food that is donated. He added that the goal is to recover 1 million tonnes in 2017.
The president of Federalimentare, Luigi Scordamaglia, commented that the campaign will involve over 20,000 food companies that will explain how easy, simple and convenient it is to donate rather than waste food through guidelines and video clips. Large retailers will also be involved, as well as over 500,000 consumers.
According to the UN's food agency FAO, Italy wastes about €12.6 billion worth of food annually.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
