UniPak containers donated by Berry to the Foodsharing movement are providing the ideal packaging solution to help make good use of leftover food, thanks in particular to their robust design and reusability.
Founded in Germany in 2012 to save good food from becoming waste, the Foodsharing concept entails volunteers collecting overproduced items from bakeries, supermarkets, canteens, restaurants and wholesalers, and then distributing the food, free of charge, to shelters for the homeless, schools, kindergartens and others.
The movement has grown particularly in the past two years of the coronavirus pandemic, as one of its volunteers Katharina Ander, explains: “In the last couple of years, the Foodsharing movement has really gained momentum – and even more so during the pandemic. We see an increasing number of supermarkets, bakeries and other businesses contacting us because they want to share and have heard about the movement. In fact, we have been active throughout the pandemic during which more people have been in need of a free meal.”
Katherine is based in Graz, Austria, and it was her initiative to get Berry's support for the Foodsharing movement.
“We need containers every day for storing fresh food and contacted Berry here in Austria,” she explained. “They were really excited and said yes immediately. They donated the necessary number of their UniPak container which is ideal for the purpose. It is stackable, watertight, dishwasher proof, microwave proof, and can be reused over and over. Even the size of 1.2 litres is perfect since it is suitable for a meal for one person.”
The UniPak containers are now being used for storing food in the movement’s publicly accessible shelves and refrigerators, so-called “Fairteiler”, which are available to everyone as a place to pick up food for free.
Public awareness of the Foodsharing movement is on the rise in many countries, not just Austria and Germany, mainly thanks to people like Katharina Ander who joined the movement in 2014.
“Whenever I see food go to waste my heart aches,” she commented. “It is such a shame when you think about this complex chain involved in getting the food to the store or the restaurant. It is produced and then shipped miles and miles in order to end up in the waste bin. My goal is to save the food and give it to people in need.”
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