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Milan, May 9 2023 - Over 290 tons of food recovered in 2022 and over 48 tons in the first three months of 2023 alone: ​​a model of fighting food waste that is consolidated and growing.

Assolombarda today hosted the moment of discussion and reflection by many voices on the actions that together with the Municipality of Milan, the Cariplo Foundation and the Milan Polytechnic are promoted in the anti-waste hubs thanks to the daily commitment of third sector entities and businesses.

“FoodPolicy and the fight against waste in Milan are combined in many projects starting from neighborhood hubs: in the Food Forum we want to make them more known, talk about the results, also open them up to visits from schools and citizens - underlined the Deputy Mayor and Councilor to Education with responsibility for Food Policy Anna Scavuzzo at the opening of the event -. A network effort that makes the difference and which we continue with new ideas to respond to the many different needs that are emerging."

The neighborhood hub initiative was launched in 2019 by the Municipality of Milan together with the Cariplo Foundation, Assolombarda and the Milan Polytechnic. It promotes the recovery and redistribution of food surpluses, with a territorial network of third sector entities, which time they give food to people and families in difficulty.

"The network of neighborhood hubs represents a fundamental hub of Milan's food policy which has allowed us to reach citizens, especially the most vulnerable, opening a dialogue that goes beyond food and comes into widespread contact with the territory - he underlined Carlo Mango Director of Research, Fondazione Cariplo -. This network, also recognized at an international level, represents a tool for openness and interaction beyond the borders of our country".

Virtuous collaborations have been developed in the hubs that create a social proposal in the neighborhoods, involving many different experiences and sensitivities.

The Foody Zero Waste initiative, within the Milan agri-food market, involved around 60 wholesalers, through the Valore project, promoted by Fondazione Cariplo in collaboration with Sogemi and the Municipality of Milan, together with Eco dalle Città and Caritas Ambrosiana active at the market.

“To overcome the crisis and encourage growth, we must continue to 'create a system' and further extend the network of neighborhood hubs against food waste - declared Alessandro Scarabelli, general director of Assolombarda -. The network, in recent years, has achieved important goals thanks to valuable teamwork, of a typically Ambrosian nature, between institutions, universities, foundations, associations and companies. But we can do even more: with this in mind we have created the 'Zerosprechi Hub' brand, a brand created pro bono by the Armando Testa group which will be recognized to donors of surpluses and, more generally, to supporters of the initiative so that they can enhance your membership as a good practice that arises in our territory. Like Assolombarda, we will continue to do our part to promote the project, acting as spokesperson for an economy that knows how to balance the necessary development aspirations with a felt responsibility towards humanity and the environment that surrounds us".

During 2022, in the four Hubs against food waste active in Milan (Isola, Gallaratese, Lambrate and Centro, the latter inaugurated last September), over 177 tonnes were collected by 12 supermarket brands, reaching over 3500 families (data : Food Sustainability Observatory of the Polytechnic of Milan). Added to these are another 120 tons of food surplus recovered by Recup and Banco Alimentare della Lombardia, collected in the fifth of the Foody Zero waste Hub present within the Sogemi Agri-food market in Milan source (data: University of Milan), thus reaching over 290 tons of food recovered during 2022.

In the first three months of 2023 alone, in the four Hubs of Isola, Gallaratese, Lambrate and Centro, 48 tons of food have already been collected and donated for over 97 thousand equivalent meals.

“We are proud to tell the results of a great story, that of the Neighborhood Hubs against food waste in Milan, a project resulting from a multi-year path of collaboration and continuous social innovation - underlined Alessandro Perego, Vice-Rector for Sustainable Development and Impact , Politecnico di Milano -. The system of involvement of both public and private partners has allowed us to go through an initial phase of experimentation over the years, followed by a phase of consolidation and reconfiguration of project activities in response to the pandemic and, finally, expansion and scalability of the hub model, enriching itself with new partners, resources and a variety of services for the benefit of people in need. In this context, the Polytechnic of Milan, thanks to the continuous interaction with the subjects involved in the network, has given, and will continue to give, its contribution as a promoting partner, which is responsible for the system of measurement and monitoring of the impacts of the project, an aspect fundamental to be able to identify critical issues and adopt the appropriate solutions necessary to limit food waste and food insecurity".

The partners of the Neighborhood Hubs
Supporting bodies: Progamma QuBi, Fondazione Milan, Banca di Credito Cooperativo di Milano and Fondazione Snam.
Managing bodies: Banco Alimentare della Lombardia, Terre des Homme Italia, Ibva Solidando.

Foody Zero Waste Hub: Sogemi, Cariplo Foundation, University of Milan, Lombardy Food Bank, Recup Rossa Opera, Eco dalle Città, Caritas Ambrosiana

Technical sponsors: Avis Milan, Number1 Logistics Group, SoDe social delivery, Italian Red Cross - Milan CommitteeThe insignia and the companies involved: Lidl, Bennet, Esselunga, Carrefour, Coop Lombardia, Il Gigante, Natura Sì, Getir, Pam, Erbert, Conad, Glovo, Pellegrini and Siemens.