Albert helped donate 2,800 tons of food, representing 5.6 million standardized portions of food*. This is a year-over-year increase in donations by half and exceeds the public commitment by 20 %.
For the second year in a row, Albert became the Czech Federation of Food Banks' largest corporate donor. And for 2023, Albert has made a public commitment to donate 3,000 tons of food, or over six million portions of food for those in need.
To improve the collection and distribution of fresh food, Albert has already donated 10 refrigerated vans to food banks and last year contributed CZK 1.2 million to their operation.
Activities to reduce food waste have long been a pillar of Albert's sustainability strategy. The proportion of unsold food in the retailer's stores has been around one percent of the total volume for several years, and Albert is looking for the most meaningful use for this amount of surplus food. Preferably in the form of donations for human consumption and to help those in need.
"Every meal should find a use. It's not just a question of sustainability, but also of responsible behaviour. And it is donating food that makes social sense. Every year, we improve the donation system from our stores and develop cooperation with food banks so that as much food as possible reaches the people in need," explains Jiří Mareček, Director of Sustainability and Communications at Albert stores. "We thank the Czech Federation of Food Banks for their partnership in the past year. We are pleased that we could jointly contribute to improving the daily lives of seniors, single parents and hundreds of social organizations."
The growing need for material assistance in the form of food or hygiene products is also highlighted by the food banks themselves, which play an important role in this regard, whether it is distributing donations to those in need or organizing collections. "In view of the social situation, we have seen an intensified demand for food aid during the last year. The more we appreciate the approach of retailers such as Albert, who are willing to work to increase donations throughout the Czech Republic and also help conceptually in material and financial form," says Veronika Láchová, Director of the Czech Federation of Food Banks.
* 1 portion of food counts as 0.5 kg of food according to the standardized methodology.
