Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Over 3.300 families were reached with 152 thousand equivalent meals. Deputy Mayor Scavuzzo: "By the summer two more hubs against food waste in Corvetto and Gallaratese"

Milan, February 4 2021 - Two years after the opening of the first Neighborhood Hub against food waste in Isola, followed by the opening of the Lambrate Hub last October, the balance of surplus collection for 2020 is 76 tonnes: 62 of those collected between January and February and between June and December in via Borsieri and 14 in the recently inaugurated hub in via Bassini.

“This action has allowed us to continue working to achieve sustainability objectives – states the Deputy Mayor with responsibility for Food Policy Anna Scavuzzo – but also the right to healthy food. The fourth priority of the Food Policy is the fight against waste and for this reason two more Neighborhood Hubs will be opened with new partners by the summer, in Corvetto and Gallaratese".

“The neighborhood hubs are born from a method developed by the Food Policy of Milan together with other subjects – declares Giovanni Fosti, President of the Cariplo Foundation – and made possible by the presence of networks in the area such as the Qubi Program - the Foundation's recipe against child poverty Cariplo. Because combating food waste, preparing a package of food that is healthy and balanced, dedicated to that person and their family so that they are well, and delivering it through someone who has an attentive and respectful gaze, means taking care. It is this attention that makes the real difference and strengthens the bonds of the community."

On the occasion of February 5, National Day for the Prevention of Food Waste, the monitoring of the data carried out by the Polytechnic of Milan highlights that 7 large-scale retail chains were involved in the collection of the Isola Hub (LIDL Italia, Esselunga, Carrefour, NaturaSi, Erbert, Coop Lombardia, Il Gigante) with 9 points of sale and 14 non-profit organisations; while 5 brands are connected to the Lambrate Hub (Esselunga, Il Gigante, Bennet, LIDL Italia, Penny Market) with 8 points of sale, and 11 non-profit organisations. The families reached are over 3.300, in which 1.630 minors live, for approximately 152.000 equivalent meals.

“Even in the face of the difficulties of the period – states Alessandro Perego, Director of the Department of Management Engineering of the Polytechnic of Milan –, the results of the first Hub in Isola and the recent Hub in Lambrate have demonstrated the sustainability of a model based on processes structured operations and solid inter-sector collaborations. Hubs also constitute a central point in a neighborhood's social network. We will continue to work closely with the donor companies and all the project partners to ensure the continuity and replicability of the system in other areas of the city". 

“The crisis caused by Covid has heavily affected the economy of many families, unfortunately worsening the conditions of those who previously had difficulty finding basic necessities – declares Alessandro Scarabelli, General Director of Assolombarda -. For this reason, the opening of two new Hubs takes on even more significant importance for the social stability of the city. The important results achieved are a clear sign of how important it is to team up and strengthen our commitment to build a model for the recovery of surpluses and redistribution to support the most vulnerable people. I therefore intend to thank all the companies who have decided to actively participate in the initiative, demonstrating great responsibility, including Armando Testa, Maire Tecnimont, Number1, Pellegrini, Samsung, Siemens, Pirelli. Other important companies have already given their availability: Bracco and CIRFOOD".

In addition to the Polytechnic University of Milan and Assolombarda, partners of the Municipality of Milan in the Food Policy action, the initiative is attended by Programma Qubi - the recipe against child poverty (Isola) and BCC of Milan (Lambrate), in the premises granted by Avis Milano . The Lombardy Food Bank manages the Neighborhood Hubs, while Number1 has made two vans available for transport. Among the companies, Deutsche Bank has also been present since the start of the initiative. The opening of the two new hubs in the coming months is possible thanks to the support of the Snam Foundation (Corvetto) and the Milan Foundation (Gallaratese).