“Saved Food Basket” – information campaign launched in Moldova, with the support of the European Union

On 27 April 2023, with the support of the European Union, the “Saved Food Basket” information campaign has been launched. The aim of the campaign is to inform the public about the food recovery mechanism and the possibility to donate food. This mechanism works through the Food Bank of the Republic of Moldova, which collects and redistributes food surplus from shops or agricultural producers to social canteens and other social services.

A culinary workshop was organised at the launch event at the social canteen in the village of Ghetlova, Orhei district. Under the guidance of a professional chef, 25 children from the community prepared dishes using products recovered by the Food Bank, thus learning to use food efficiently and prevent waste.

“It is a unique experience to learn together with the little ones new skills on responsible food consumption that concerns each of us, an opportunity that we had during today’s activity. At the same time, the European Union consistently supports initiatives that contribute to the development of inclusive communities through the development of social services aimed at improving the quality of life of people in need”, said Victoria Neaga, Project Manager at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

The products for the culinary workshop were donated by the Food Bank of the Republic of Moldova, which is the first organisation of its kind in the country. Under the project about 5000 food insecure people will benefit from support through the Food Bank.

„With a minimum effort to donate and redistribute surplus food on time, a helping hand can be offered to those who cannot provide for their food needs. In the Republic of Moldova, where about 4% of the population suffers from severe food insecurity, food wastage is a present phenomenon that is little discussed”, said Ana Prasolov, project director of I.P. “Keystone Moldova”.

The campaign will include a series of activities dedicated to economic agents in the agri-food chain, in which civil society organisations will also be involved as potential beneficiaries of the donated products.

The information campaign is launched in the framework of the project “Partnerships for inclusive and sustainable canteen services”, financed by the European Union, co-financed and implemented by I.P. “Keystone Moldova”, A.O. “CONCORDIA. Social Projects” and I.R.M.S. “Diaconia”.