Bellanova: act immediately to ensure food for those in difficulty due to the virus
Strong appreciation for the action put in place by the Ministry, great availability for common work, simplification of procedures, speeding up of the required steps and the issuing of calls for tenders, the need for national coordination because "the food emergency is increasing and the measures must reach the goal now, namely to guarantee food for the most fragile people ", urgent need for more resources.
These are the highlights of the meeting of the Indigent and Food Waste Meeting called by Minister Bellanova today for a discussion on the current situation and the measures already implemented, and the planning of further actions to be carried out "to face the food emergency at national level" .
“We wanted to convene the table”, says Bellanova, “because it is necessary to face together and in a coordinated way the food emergency that is taking place due to the Coronavirus. Charitable bodies and thousands of volunteers throughout Italy are proving once again that the third sector of our country has courage, strength, generosity. Thanks to their commitment, we have been able to give support to millions of people in need again. Agricultural organizations, markets, industries, operators and large retailers are showing equal generosity for the food donations that have taken place in recent weeks. A concrete help to act together in the emergency: they were able to guarantee food supplies for citizens and to give to those who needed it most. The many examples and testimonials across the country are a signal that gives hope. The supply chain of life that leaves no one behind. And on this we must do even more, each in their own possibilities. Especially in the next two weeks where we know that the charities' warehouses will be in more difficulty ".
“Thanks to the 50 million increase in the fund for the poor - continues Bellanova - we have implemented the first necessary actions and have already signed two implementing decrees. The first of 6 million euros will allow next week to open a tender for the purchase of about 180 thousand quintals of milk, thus also avoiding the risk of food waste. The second, worth 50 million euros, is being registered at the Court of Auditors and will allow us to make very important interventions. Agea is unblocking all pending supplies as soon as possible, with a tight schedule of deliveries and new tenders ”.
As for the need for national coordination, the Minister reminds us that she has already urged President Conte in this sense: “we can only deal with the food emergency and provide ourselves with more agile tools. If municipalities have been allowed to derogate from the procurement code, we should also be able to provide for similar measures for national purchases. We need a unitary direction that knows how to manage territorial needs and schedule interventions ".
The need for simplified procedures coordinated at national level and for important new resources in the April decree was pointed out by the whole Board and in particular by charitable bodies. The food emergency is showing a significant increase in requests for help from families and the € 400 million intervention on vouchers for municipalities helped to respond in the first few weeks.
“We must also continue the work in the fight against food waste and in the virtuous recovery of surpluses. If we have more citizens who are hungry, it is even more intolerable to think that food ends up in landfills. We have also written to the European Commission that there are adequate tools to combat food waste also in the Green deal strategy. Over the past few weeks, we have experienced the need for a step forward for Europe in handling emergencies. "
On the sidelines of the meeting, CREA presented the progress of the work of the Observatory on food surpluses, recoveries and waste. The data collected on the primary sector object of this year's work were presented. In particular, the data show that the system of producer organizations (POs) is highly organized and that it enhances surpluses through their redistribution to charitable organizations and therefore maintaining their use for human food for 68%. Distribution essentially concerns fruit (84%) compared to vegetables (16%). The most widely distributed types of fruit are apples, plums, peaches and kiwis. An in-depth investigation was carried out on these supply chains, highlighting that plums tend to be more in excess of production, a surplus that is more contained for kiwis. Peach and apple production are more stable. It can therefore be said that the PO system tends to greatly limit waste intended as a product that goes to landfill, because the excess production is either redistributed or 2/3 transformed. Some action must be taken to ensure that this rate increases and the share of food for humans can increase.
The table will meet again within a month.