Food sharing project Taste & Share launches

The latest employee-driven Food Foundation project from Electrolux – ‘Taste & Share’ – has launched in Poland, highlighting the benefits of food sharing to raise awareness about food waste.

Every year nine million tons of food are wasted in Poland, with the number reaching 1.3 billion tons globally, putting a huge strain on the planet. The Electrolux team in Poland aims to tackle the issue by encouraging staff to share food that would otherwise be destined for the trash bin.

In late April, the project kicked off with Food-Sharing Friday at the Electrolux Kraków office, which over time will expand to the rest of the country. A food-sharing point was opened where employees can share ready-made meals and snacks plus surplus ingredients. A number of workshops were also held on how to turn leftovers into delicious meals, store food properly to make it last as long as possible, and prepare smoothies out of fruits and vegetables that are no longer very fresh — all in the name of ensuring that no food goes to waste.

As part of the program, a series of culinary workshops for journalists, bloggers and chefs will also take place to share best practices and demonstrate how to turn surplus food into delicious recipes. The project including the culinary workshops is supported by Electrolux Feed the Planet partner Worldchefs.

Electrolux head of social responsibility Malin Ekefalk said: “Electrolux is committed to raising awareness around the global problem of food waste. Our employees and partners in Poland are very passionate about this topic and through Taste & Share we highlight the possibilities of food-sharing and various methods for reducing food waste to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

Taste & Share is just one of several projects granted funding by the Electrolux Food Foundation, which was launched in September 2016 with an initial investment of SEK 10 million to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Leveraging on the Electrolux sustainability promise “Be a force for good,” part of the For The Better framework, the Food Foundation’s purpose is to contribute more to addressing global challenges such as food waste, responsible consumption, hunger and poor nutrition. Only last month, Electrolux launched Food Mission: Taste the Waste in Stockholm also aimed at raising awareness of the food waste issue.