Mercabarna collected 1,333 tonnes of fruits and vegetables to help feed vulnerable people in Barcelona and the surrounding area in 2019, an increase of 4.6 per cent on the previous year. More than 35,000 people benefited from the scheme last year, according to the market’s managing board.
Ninety charities benefited from the contributions, up from 78 in 2017, thanks to more efficient communication and management, the market said.
“Fruits and vegetables are essential foods in any person’s diet. The products that Mercabarna delivers through the Food Bank are suitable for consumption but cannot be marketed for different reasons: because they have a defect in the packaging, they are approaching their use-by date or they are surplus to requirements,” the market said.
Since 2002, Mercabarna has ceded a 475m2 warehouse to the Food Bank within the market’s perimeter to facilitate the delivery of fruit and vegetables by wholesale companies.
