New partnerships announced this week form part of Italian company’s continued effort to reduce food waste
Leading European fresh produce company Orsero Group has established a series of partnerships with charitable organisations in Italy to redistribute unsold fruit and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste.
The project will see the surplus but nonetheless edible produce from Orsero’s wholesale stands and warehouses across Italy donated to those charities.
“The fight against food waste is a very important issue for Orsero, [and one] placed at the centre of our Strategic Sustainability Plan,” commented Gaia Cacciabue, the group’s sustainability manager.
“Our daily challenge is always to be able to donate or recover a greater percentage of what can no longer be sold.”
Orsero’s strategic plan sets out two key objectives: firstly, to develop a new way to reduce food waste every year; and secondly, to involve all its entire Italian network in efforts to reduce that waste.
In 2022, with the help of organisations such as the European Food Banks Federation, Recup, and TooGoodToGo, it reportedly managed to save over 850 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, which were turned into more than 4m donated portions worth over €600,000.
The latest partnerships are with Antoniano, ACLI Roma, Fondazione Solidarietà Caritas ETS, Fondazione Caritas San Saturnino and Coopi.
