The project to reduce food waste was implemented in the county of Csongrád-Csanád

According to the announcement, 1.8 million tons of surplus food is produced in Hungary every year. Based on surveys, this amount from primary production to the consumer in the entire EU is approximately 88 million tons, which has significant negative economic, social and environmental effects.

With the participation of the Csongrád-Csanád Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with EU support, the project “Reducing food waste and saving excess food stocks” (ReS-Food) was launched at the beginning of 2022, in which, in addition to Greek and Cypriot companies, the University of Novi Sad and the University of Eszékie also participated .

The goal of the initiative, implemented with a grant of 250,000 euros, was to offer possible solutions at each step of the supply chain to reduce food waste and distribute excess food to those in need. The target group of the program was the members of the HoReCa sector – hotels, cafes and restaurants – as well as those charitable organizations, municipalities, civil organizations that collect excess food and deliver it to those in need.

Over the past two years, the chamber’s employees have assessed the food surplus and the conditions related to it among county members of the HoReCa sector, and then provided them with assistance in reducing the surplus. They created the missing network of connections between hotels, cafes and restaurants, as well as charitable organizations. In this way, the generated food surplus is less likely to end up in the trash, and more likely to reach organizations and municipalities, which will ultimately distribute the food to families and the elderly in difficult circumstances.