Therefore, Pigu.lt shopping mall on the internet has started cooperating with Maisto bankas (Food Bank) and giving all food with the approaching expiration date, which is kept in the warehouse, to the charity and support foundation that distributes the products among those in the greatest need. Pigu.lt also allocates additional financial support that helps the charity organisation cope with logistics challenges.
According to the European Commission data, food waste across the European Union amounts to around 88 million tons, i.e. about 20 per cent of all produced food, annually. Meanwhile, in Lithuania, according to the data of the State Food and Veterinary Service, the country's households alone throw away over 50 000 tons of food per year.
According to Dainius Liulys, CEO of Pigu.lt, responsible consumption and contribution to environmental and social problem solving is both an individual and a corporate responsibility. Therefore, Pigu.lt has chosen Maisto bankas for social partnership. In this way, the company can help the charity organisation experiencing difficulties during the pandemic and the poor.
"E-commerce sales volumes have reached incredible heights due to the pandemic. However, with our company growing, we feel increasingly responsible for contribution to local business and the surrounding community welfare. We are therefore thrilled to have established this partnership with Maisto bankas. We contribute to the noble aspiration to reduce food waste and ensure that food fit for consumption will reach the poorest Lithuanians' household. We have already transferred 34 tons of food to Maisto bankas, which makes 68 000 food portions. Together with Maisto bankas we invite our employees and customers to do their best and buy food products more responsibly, so they are not wasted. Then we can allocate our saved funds to the organisations that help those in need," says Mr Liulys.
The Pigu.lt shopping mall on the internet also allocates financial support to Maisto bankas, which helps tackle daily logistics concerns. After the quarantine is lifted, there are plans for the company's employees to volunteer and help distribute food, which has been saved from being thrown away, yet which is still fit for consumption, in the charity organisation's warehouses deliver it to those in the greatest need.
Unexpected challenges during the pandemic
According to Simonas Gurevičius, Director of Maisto bankas, their charity organisation's activities have become even more relevant during the pandemic, yet the organisation has also faced unexpected challenges.
"We have been distributing a huge share of food through other social organisations; however, many of them had to close due to the quarantine. Thus during the first and second quarantine, we have faced a problem of reaching those in the greatest need. We have come up with a non-standard solution to deliver products with our means. Last year, we delivered a total of almost 12 000 food packages to poor households, and today we keep on doing this," says Mr Gurevičius.
Partnership just in time
According to Simonas Gurevičius, some partners of Maisto bankas have not been operating during the quarantine. Thus they could not take part in the support campaign in autumn. The campaign was carried out in a much smaller number of stores, so the amount of food donated was smaller than usual. Therefore, the new partnership with Pigu.lt is significant.
"We are glad to have started cooperating with Pigu.lt and taking over the food with the approaching expiration date from their warehouse. It is an invaluable aid that mitigates the problem of wasted food in Lithuania and helps socially vulnerable groups of our population. We hope that the contact established during this difficult period will become even stronger in the future," says the director of Maisto bankas.
Financial support will help preserve more food
According to Mr Gurevičius, the main costs of Maisto bankas are invested in the logistics chain – food storage and the rental of buses that deliver food. Thus any financial support for the organisation is of great importance.
"Although Maisto bankas is always in demand for additional food products, assistance in organising daily operations is just as important. We have estimated that we currently manage to preserve about a quarter of all food fit for consumption we could deliver to people. Therefore, granted support matters and the bigger it is, the more food we can preserve and help those country residents who are in the greatest need," adds the head of the charity organisation.
Translated by Metropolio vertimai – your trusted translation partner
