Ten of the food donation boxes have been placed at Tesco stores around Brno and the wider region, after a successful trial in Herspice. Photo: Tesco CR.
Brno, Oct 16 (BD) – Reducing food waste and getting food to those in society who need it most – those are the two main goals of 10 new food donation boxes that have been placed in Tesco hypermarkets in and around Brno by the organisation Food Banks. Shoppers can donate any long-lasting food, hygiene products, or household goods, which are regularly collected by staff and distributed to charity organisations, homeless shelters, orphanages, care homes for the elderly or mothers in need, or organisations that support drug addicts. According to Pavel Kosorin, Director of Food Banks for Brno and the South Moravian Region, “We work with more than 80 organizations. All of them are verified to make sure that the food gets to the right places.”
So far the South Moravian Region is the only region which is running the scheme. Of the ten participating hypermarkets, six are in Brno, and with the other four located in Ivančice, Břeclav, Mikulov and Vyškov. The first pilot Food Box was launched two years ago in Brno-Heršpice, and is now being rolled out to more locations following its success. The boxes are all placed next to the cashier area of the store to be easily visible. Customers can put any food they do not intend to use in the boxes, or buy extra products to donate. As Kosorin said, “A food bank employee arrives to pick up the food every few days, then we check it and distribute it to organizations working with the needy.” All food deposited in the boxes must be labelled with an expiration date; home-made foods such as preserves are not accepted by the program.
Food Banks and Tesco are partners in the program. Tesco’s Czech Republic Managing Director Patrik Dojčinovič explained his company’s participation: “We are a leader in the fight against food waste, and in the last two years we have managed to reduce waste in our operations by 55%. We therefore very much welcome any initiative that effectively reduces waste and helps those in need. Food boxes are a great idea to enable customers to donate food throughout the year.” Food Banks were established in the South Moravian Region in 2014. In 2018, over 260 tonnes of food and other products were distributed, of which Tesco stores donated 80 tonnes.
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