Sustainability takes place with small behaviors and the "Food Bag", the container in which to put food ordered in the restaurant and not consumed, is an object as simple as it is useful. If used by each customer, the Food Bag would in fact allow to significantly reduce the food waste that occurs in consumption outside the home.
These themes were at the center of the panel "From doggy bag to Food bag: the right to leftovers without shame.", moderated by Anna Scafuri, of the economic editorial staff of Tg1 Rai, with speeches by Maria Chiara Gadda, of the Agriculture Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, first signatory of the anti-waste law, Susanna Cenni, Vice-President of the Agriculture Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, Ugo Alciati for the Taste Ambassadors Association, e Milvia Panic, Head of Corporate Communication and Public Relations Metro Italy.
THE PETITION ON CHANGE.ORG
A provocation started from Turin petition, launched on the Change.org platform, to ask for the obligatory nature of the Food Bag, which in just two weeks has collected over 13.300 signatures. "This initiative shows that many Italians are sensitive to the issue of food waste and that they welcome the proposal for the introduction of a mandatory Food Bag. - comments Stephanie Brancaforte, Director of Change.org in Italy. - Users of Change.org they have mobilized on several occasions in support of campaigns for the enhancement of food and the reduction of waste, attitudes that also contribute to combating climate change. The use of the Food Bag is a small gesture, an action of individuals who together can make important changes - many citizens are beginning to understand that culture is a collective responsibility and that it can guarantee us survival. "
THE ANTI-WASTE LAW
With the introduction of the Law "Provisions concerning the donation and distribution of food and pharmaceutical products for the purpose of social solidarity and for the limitation of waste", a process has started which has led to positive data on the reduction of food waste. “The law was born with the intention of making those who produce communicate with those who consume. - said the Hon. Gadda - We try to give value to products: when they have lost their commercial value, they can still satisfy a need. In this way we make the profit dialogue with the non profit. Often, the difficulty consists precisely in triggering and supporting projects capable of making the various subjects dialogue. In this, food becomes a fundamental element for relating separate worlds. The leap in quality today is being able to intervene on the waste of the most difficult products, such as fresh food, and in more complex places, such as catering. "
WHAT THE RESTAURANT CAN DO
The Hon. Intervened precisely on the role that catering can play in curbing waste. Cenni, who spoke of an incentive and non-coercive measure in the preparation phase, so that we arrive at a concrete system to recover food not consumed in restaurants. "We have to intervene on a cultural level and make sure that the consumer is no longer embarrassed to ask to bring home leftover food and can prefer the places where he knows he can do it." But how can circular economy processes be fostered in catering? "We propose - explained Cenni - that at the customer's request the restaurant owner is required to deliver the uneaten food. That the cost of the container is borne by the companies that deal with disposal and a system of incentives and relief for those who adopt this good practice. "
THE COMMITMENT OF THE TASTE AMBASSADORS ASSOCIATION
The chef Ugo Alciati he highlighted that “it is up to us restaurateurs to remove the customer from embarrassment in asking to bring home the advanced food, especially in restaurants from a certain level up. We are thinking about a cultural promotion project that starts from schools, because triggering good practices starting from children can be easier than intervening on adults and children are often able to move the wrong behaviors of adults. I learned from my parents not to waste food. In the sixties they had a restaurant in Monferrato, where they offered a tasting menu, using seasonal products, and the customer came on purpose to try it, he trusted. Returning to seasonal menus today requires customer trust. "
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ALL THE ACTORS OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN
Addressing the theme in a circular perspective, "The fight against waste along the agri-food distribution chain - he underlined Milvia Panic - is divided into many stages, from the correct supply of raw materials through the donation of surplus food and then to the best practices to be implemented and communicated to the customer in the restaurant sector. " And the fight against waste is also achieved by intervening in a targeted manner in the emergencies given by current events: “today - Panico concluded - we launch the #iomangioconlebacchette campaign which aims to support Asian restaurants, at this time when good Kitchen procurement practices collide with the drastic collapse in attendance, which is generating a lot of waste. "
Looking at the data, the waste of food in the restaurant derives from the behavior of restaurateurs as well as customers. There petition change.org/foodbag launched by the Food Journalism Festival, it therefore aims to be a strong initiative to simultaneously sensitize both actors and ask for a concrete position.
