On the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, our beloved partner Massimo Bottura, one of the world’s best chefs, was declared a UN Ambassador. It wasn’t how well he cooked or how famous he was that brought him this assignment. It was the fact that he had made fighting food waste his mission throughout his career. Carrying it further with each step everywhere he went, he will share this culture with even wider audiences with this assignment.
1/3 of the food we produce globally goes to waste annually. Waste happens after harvest, in the fields, during transport, in the markets, and eventually in our homes. Roughly 1.3 billion tons of edible food goes to the trash for various reasons before it even arrives in our kitchens. Such as for looking unappealing, getting bruised during transport, or spoiled due to inadequate carrier conditions.
“If we can use all of the ingredients to the fullest potential, we will reduce the amount of waste we are creating and shop more efficiently,” Bottura added. “In my role as UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, I will fight to reduce this global shame.”
Massimo Bottura started his fight against food waste with Food for Soul with his wife, Lara Gilmore. Through Food for Soul, he sought to save wasted food from destruction by repurposing it for those in need.
In a brief time, with the Refettorios, he took his mission all over the world from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, from Mexico to Milan. To date, it has saved more than 200 tons of edible food by using them to create more than half a million nutritious meals.
“There is no room for food loss and waste, especially as millions across the world go hungry,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP. “The pandemic is a wake-up call reminding us of the urgent need to transform our relationship with nature, and in particular, rethink the way we produce and consume food. I am delighted that Massimo Bottura, who is already making a difference through his Refettorios, is joining forces with UNEP to help bring real change.”
We are proud to support our beloved partner Massimo Bottura, his Food for Soul initiative and Refettorios, to fight against food waste and use it to help those in need. We kept on contributing not only with our appliances and sustainable technologies but also by helping to spread the message of respect for food and inspiring people to take everyday actions towards a better future.
With this recent honor, we can now make our voices heard by even more and invite even a broader audience to join our fight against food waste. The small steps we can take every day in our homes will lead us to a better future for all.
Click here to find out the steps you can take at home because it starts at home.
