Combating food waste: CiboAmico is 10 years old

Through this project, the Hera Group has recovered from its company canteens more than 91,000 meals not consumed and donated to non-profit organizations, thus enabling them to make an overall saving of about 375,000 euros. Reusing the surplus food also avoided the production of about 39 tonnes of waste.

Combating food waste represents an answer to the environmental crisis that our planet is going through and one of the key elements for safeguarding environmental sustainability. As for most environmental challenges, it needs commitment that affects the daily lives of the entire society. And this is a challenge that the Hera Group has no intention of refusing.

To demonstrate this position, CiboAmico, the multiutility company’s project to recover meals that have been prepared but not consumed at five company canteens (Bologna, Granarolo dell’Emilia, Imola, Rimini and Ferrara), and donate them to five non-profit organizations that give hospitality and daily assistance to about 115 disadvantaged people at seven facilities has entered its tenth year. Launched in December 2009 with the support of Last Minute Market, a spin-off of the University of Bologna that promotes environmental sustainability and the fight against waste, CiboAmico is characterized by attention to sustainability and the transition towards a circular economy, with a guarantee of social, economic and environmental benefits.

A commitment that has led so far to the recovery and donation of over 91,000 meals, for a total value of about 375,000 euros. This has avoided the production of 39 tonnes of waste (corresponding to about 86 binfuls) and the emission of almost 170 tonnes of CO2. Another aspect that should not be overlooked is the social impact of the project, which has concerned over 100 disadvantaged people every year, received and assisted by the facilities that have received the meals donated by the multiutility company.

For all these reasons, CiboAmico represents a truly exemplary experience. Today, according to recent data coming from Waste Watcher (national waste monitoring centre), food waste in Italy is equivalent to 0.88% of the GDP, with an economic value of almost 16 billion euros, 12 of which are “thrown out” at home (an average of 2.4 kg a month per family). There are several different reasons why food is thrown out: from simple aesthetic reasons to incorrect habits in buying and consuming food. All this despite the fact that there are 821 million people worldwide that suffer hunger. We are therefore talking about extremely important social and environmental consequences that deserve greater attention, with the awareness that a more sustainable method of food consumption will play an important role in our future.