o combat food waste in France, there are no small gestures, and each one counts. More and more companies, local authorities, associations and individuals are becoming aware of the scale of the food waste problem, and are taking action. The stakes are high, not only in terms of food and money lost for the country, but also in terms of the ecological impact created by food waste. In order to reduce waste, some great initiatives are taking shape in the four corners of France. Who are these people who are taking concrete action to reduce food waste ? Freshopp tells you about these individuals and professionals who are working to reduce food waste in France.
A Mayenne supermarket transforms its waste and offers compost to its customers
In Mayenne, the Super U store in Evron has begun its ecological transition and is setting an example for its fellow stores! After donating recyclable foodstuffs to associations, the company uses a new-generation computer-controlled composting machine to transform all its organic waste into fertilizing compost. No less than 125 kilos of waste feed the innovative machine every day, creating around 15 kilos of compost. Store customers can then help themselves to free fertilizer. This initiative is effective, enabling the store manager to avoid having any organic waste that is not recycled, and to raise customer awareness of anti-gaspi.
Solidarity Hotels in Paris combat food waste
In 2018, a hotel employee in Paris realized that many products were being thrown away every day (pastries, hygiene products,..). After reporting this to his superiors, awareness of food waste was raised in this establishment. As a result, the Les Hôtels Solidaires association was created, and since then, food from over fifty hotels has been collected and redistributed to centers to help the most needy. Centers d’Aurore and the Salvation Army, for example, benefit from large-scale donations of foodstuffs that used to be thrown away every day by these hospitality professionals.
A Loiret middle school cuts food waste by a factor of three
To reduce the weight of food waste from its canteen by a factor of three, a middle school in the Loiret region of France has introduced a number of simple yet effective initiatives. For example, a barter table has been set up in the canteen so that students can put food they won’t be eating on it, and share it with their classmates.
Also, in this school restaurant mashed potatoes are served in a delicate and presentable way, as opposed to being ladled and served in bulk. What’s more, the cheese is cut according to need, rather than into individual portions. These small gestures encourage students to be aware of the food losses they generate, and raise awareness of the need to prevent food waste. According toAdeme, 120 grams of food per meal are thrown away in French canteens. This equates to around 20 000 meals per year for a college of 365 young people.
Freshopp’s “anti-gaspi” boxes save food and French people’s wallets
Speaking of simple gestures and anti-waste initiatives, Freshopp is also involved in the fight against food waste and helps households find good products, while enabling them to make great savings (up to -60 %). How ? With our “anti-gaspi” boxes, we give a second life to products originally destined to be thrown away. Non-standard products, with a slight aesthetic or packaging defect, limited editions or even products from overproduction… All these foods are delicious and consumable, yet all too often they are taken out of the traditional distribution channels.
🧺 At Freshopp, we collect and repackage these foods, then create discounted boxes. These are then offered for sale to consumers via anti-gaspi mobile applications. The boxes can then be picked up by customers, directly from partner collection points. This initiative aims to save over 10 000 tonnes of food by the end of 2023.
We can all take action to preserve the environment and combat food waste. There are no small gestures, and each initiative is another step towards reducing this disproportionate global waste.
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⏭️ Also read: Encouraging children to reduce food waste: tips and tricks.