Purpose:

Milan is combating food waste by making the most of its food resources while supporting the regeneration of natural systems and the inclusion of migrants. The city has developed circular logistics for the redistribution of surplus food and sustainable ways for organic material to be discarded. So far, the city has worked with local public and private organisations and has seen significant reductions in food waste.

Stimulus/Rationale:

Launched by the Milan Municipality in 2015, the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact is an international agreement among cities from all over the world, committed "to develop sustainable food systems that are inclusive, resilient, safe and diverse, that provide healthy and affordable food to all people in a human rights-based framework, that minimize waste and conserve biodiversity while adapting to and mitigating impacts of climate change”.

Its main aim is to support cities wishing to develop more sustainable urban food systems by fostering city to city cooperation and best practices exchange.

Every second, the equivalent of 6 garbage trucks of food is wasted globally, and cities could be a major player in addressing this problem.

Process:

In the city there are 5 “Neighbourhood Hubs against Food Waste” in which different actors participate.

The last “Neighbourhood Hub” against food waste, finalized in March 2021, has opened with two significant new features: in addition to the collection and redistribution of surplus food, it also brings with it a solidarity market and educational and training activities for vulnerable women and children with migrant background.

The Hubs are equipped with a cold store for handling fresh food, with shelving for dry and packaged food and with an administrative workstation for archive and procedure management. The use of a van equipped with a cold store allows surpluses to be collected on a daily basis from supermarkets and stored in the Hub for redistribution to non-profit organisations. In addition to this, there is another vehicle used to recover surpluses from company canteens, distributed directly to non-profit organisations.

Impact:

Key reference documents: