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Atlante continues to support fondazione banco alimentare emilia romagna to help the needy
27 May 2021
ATLANTE CONTINUES TO SUPPORT FONDAZIONE BANCO ALIMENTARE EMILIA ROMAGNA TO HELP THE NEEDY
Atlante, a company based in Bologna that operates as a strategic partner of the main Italian and foreign food distribution chains, is renewing its collaboration with Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna.
Launched in 2013, the collaboration between Atlante and Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna will continue in 2021 with an initiative that has the twofold goal of fighting food waste and providing help to the needy. Atlante, who can periodically manage food surpluses of products safe for consumption but that cannot be placed on the market due to their fast-approaching expiry dates, contacted Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna, which, through its 750 facilities serves over 125,000 people across the region. As a result of this partnership, just in the last two editions of the initiative Atlante was able to donate to Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna more than 885 thousand packages of food products of the brands that it distributes in Italy, sending them to the needy across Emilia Romagna.
The products selected by Atlante for this renewed collaboration are mainly fresh food products with a fast-approaching expiry date. Seventy percent of the goods donated to Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna consist of Greek specialities – in particular different types of yogurt – in addition to soya, rice, coconut, and aloe-based vegetable drinks, as well as puff pastry, pizza and focaccia dough, vegetable alternatives to meat (burgers, veggie meatballs, nuggets, etc.), savory snacks, chocolate and dry pasta. As part of the food selection process, for this initiative Atlante was extremely transparent with the manufacturers and customers that own the food brands and that agreed to participate in the project. All the major supply chains – approximately 15 customers – confirmed their decision to participate also with their own branded products, effectively increasing the surpluses to be allocated to Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna.
Natasha Linhart, Atlante’s CEO, stated: “Atlante is pleased to stand once again side by side with Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna in this important charity partnership, especially in this period so affected by the economic and social crises caused by the pandemic. As in the past, this year too we have been able to join this initiative, selecting the surplus products that come from our stocks. Moreover, Atlante employees participate annually in the famous Food Collection promoted by Banco Alimentare. We fully embrace the principles of Banco Alimentare and within our company we have always adopted an ethical approach. Today this awareness of the fight against food waste is increasingly felt also by our customers – that is, the large-scale distribution chains – that chose to participate with enthusiasm in this initiative”.
Stefano Dalmonte, President of Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna Onlus, stated: “Banco Alimentare was established in Italy thirty years ago from a brilliant idea of an entrepreneur and an educator: Cavalier Danilo Fossati and don Luigi Giussani. They wanted to recover food and distribute it to the needy through a network that, just in Emilia Romagna, boasts 750 facilities that assist people in need. By now, this initiative has grown significantly big: last year alone, food for nearly 20 million free meals was donated on a regional basis. Fondazione Banco Alimentare Emilia Romagna is pleased to continue its cooperation with Atlante this year too, thus driving a partnership that perfectly meets the objectives set by the UN Agenda for 2030 and we hope that this precious collaboration can be an incentive for other businesses to continue our 30-year journey on the road to sustainability and the gift-based circular economy”.