Ametller Origen intensifies the fight against food waste

"If you throw away a tomato, you are wasting 18 liters of water. Throwing away a potato is equivalent to recharging your mobile more than 5 times." These phrases are heard these days over the loudspeakers in Ametller Origen stores, where classic messages announcing offers have been replaced by tips to help families fight food waste, one of the strategic priorities of the Catalan family chain. The communication action asks customers to prioritize buying food with a near expiration date and, especially, those identified with a label that allows them to be purchased with a 25% discount. Customers are also given other very graphic examples to strengthen citizen awareness of this problem: "In the homes of our country, 90 million liters of milk are thrown away each year, which is equivalent to filling the Montjuïc Olympic pool 27 times."

All these messages are part of the campaign If you waste, you don't save: the real value of food, which Ametller Origen has activated this week, coinciding with the World Day Against Food Waste, celebrated this Thursday, September 29. "For two weeks, our stores will be points of awareness and sensitization, but we must remember that the fight against food waste must be something we do daily. It is in everyone's hands ---producers, restaurateurs, businesses, and households--- to help reverse this situation," highlights Marta Angerri, Director of European Financing and Public Affairs, Sustainability and CSR at Ametller Origen.

"For two weeks, our stores will be points of awareness and sensitization, but we must remember that the fight against food waste must be something we do daily"

The chain specialized in the sale of fresh productshas also launched a gameso that consumers can measure their degree of involvement in the fight against waste. "141 million kg of vegetables are thrown away every year in homes. With this amount, we could feed all attendees at the Barcelona Olympic Games for a whole month!", points out another of the messages in the awareness campaign that invites participation in the quiz. The test consists of nine questions and, once completed, the user receives the result in their email and a guide on "small gestures" they can incorporate into their daily lives to minimize waste. "Do you check the fridge before going shopping?", "Do you plan your weekly menu?", "Do you go shopping on an empty stomach?", or "Do you eat an expired yogurt if you see it's not bad?" are some of the questions included in the questionnaire.

With the challenge of giving even more visibility to the campaign, Ametller Origen has intensified its collaboration agreement with Too Good To Go, the social impact application that connects users aware of the fight against waste with supermarkets, restaurants, and bakeries that sell their daily food surpluses at reduced prices. Usually, these are surprise packs that can be picked up during specific time slots at the establishments themselves, which helps save thousands of kilos of food per year in the 17 countries where the company operates. The alliance between Too Good To Go and Ametller Origen has allowed the launch of a pioneering project: the first concept store on food waste.

Thus, until October 10, five of Ametller Origen's main stores will be transformed into a space for awareness, knowledge, and learning about this global problem, with the challenge of contributing to generating a change in consciousness that helps reduce food waste by half by 2030, as established in one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). "At Ametller Origen, we have been fighting food waste throughout our value chain for a long time; but this time, we wanted to go a step further and, hand in hand with Too Good To Go, become a loudspeaker on this problem that directly affects both us and the planet," adds Marta Angerri.

The five stores that have been transformed are located in Barcelona (Numancia street), Castelldefels, Girona, Amposta, and Vilanova i la Geltrú. Those who visit them in the coming days will discover, through signage, screens, and public address systems, alarming figures about food waste and will be able to learn tricks and tips to extend the life of products, such as placing tomatoes face down so they last longer or storing bread in a cloth bag with a piece of potato to keep it fresh and crispy. "Every year, more than 333 million kilos of fruit are thrown away in homes; if they were watermelons, we could fill Girona Cathedral 13 times" or "throwing away a hamburger is equivalent to wasting the same amount of water as leaving the tap open for an hour and a half" are other messages conveyed to consumers.

"We are very happy to be able to execute this new and fantastic project with Ametller Origen. Every year, 40% of all food produced worldwide is wasted, and 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food waste. With initiatives like this, we want to continue raising awareness and fostering dialogue about the problem that food waste poses for the planet and how we can all take action to drive change and reduce these figures as much as possible," emphasizes Helena Calvo, head of awareness projects at Too Good To Go.

Path towards emissions neutrality

This action is not isolated, but rather one more ingredient in Ametller Origen's global sustainability strategy, which aims to minimize waste and achieve CO₂ emission neutrality by 2027. The group delivers surplus fruit and vegetables from its fields to the Espigoladors Foundation, which makes products such as jams. Furthermore, the company donates surplus food prepared in its workshop or not suitable for sale to social entities. During 2021, Ametller Origen donated 95,054 kg of product and reduced 238 tons of CO₂. Different actions are also carried out in its stores: firstly, the donation of fresh and refrigerated food with a near expiration date to various social entities such as Cáritas, Cruz Roja, Cocina Altem, or Banc dels Aliments. Last year, products worth 896,466 euros were donated, which represents a saving of 747,055 kg equivalent of CO₂.

Customers are also offered the possibility of buying products with a short expiration date; thus, during 2021, it sold 706,578 products with a 25% discount, which resulted in a saving of 1,713,184 kg of CO₂. Finally, thanks to the Too Good To Go application, since 2020, a total of 450,000 food packs have been saved in the chain's stores, avoiding the emission of 1,125,000 kg of CO₂.

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Essential guide with small gestures

Ametller Origen has published a guide to involve its customers in the goal of achieving zero food waste. With the motto You win, the planet wins, the publication includes a compilation of small gestures to incorporate into daily life and divided into three moments: things to do before buying, during the purchase process, and once you get home.

1. Check the fridge and pantry before going shopping
2. Plan the weekly menu
3. Go shopping without hunger
4. Prioritize products with a near expiration date
5. Take the items that are at the front of the fridges and shelves
6. Store food correctly in the fridge
7. Give leftovers a second life
8. Calculate portions well
9. Review product labels carefully

Each of these nine recommendations is accompanied by multiple data and very graphic examples, such as a study by an American university that assures thatif you go to the supermarket hungry you can spend up to 60% more.It is estimated that 28% of the world's agricultural land is used to produce food that ends up being thrown away and that 250 km³ of water are used each year to produce food that is wasted. According to this guide, we are the country in the European Union where the most food is thrown away: specifically 7.8 tons per year, which means an average of 176 kg per person per year. The most wasted foods are fruits and vegetables (42%), cereals (22%), dairy products (9%), meat (5%) and legumes (3%).