Last year, Albert donated a record 3,852 tonnes of food to people in need, almost 380 tonnes more than in 2023.This growth is due, among other things, to the new evening food donation project, which the retailer tested for the first time in close cooperation with food banks back in 2023.It is thanks to the long-term development of mutual cooperation, new activities and the streamlining of donations that the surplus food can be used in a meaningful way and at the same time increase aid to the needy. Albert has committed to donating 4,000 tonnes this year.
Albert stores are holding the amount of unsold food at just one per cent of the total. These surpluses are then ideally donated to the needy. Last year, Albert surpassed its public commitment to donate 3 800 tonnes of food to people in need. A record 3,852 tonnes went to them, an increase of almost 11% year-on-year, and five times more since 2020. For the fourth consecutive year, the retailer has become the Food Banks' largest corporate donor. Food from Albert stores accounted for just under a quarter of total donations collected last year.
"We have been able to increase donations thanks to our long-term cooperation with food banks, new projects, streamlining and the intensive work of our colleagues. Last year, the evening donation project we launched with food banks made a significant contribution. We involved a further 63 stores, so that a total of 350 tonnes of fresh food, such as fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meat, were delivered to the plates of 92 stores within ten minutes. More fresh food is also reaching people in need thanks to two more refrigerated vans we donated to food banks last December," explains Jiří Mareček, Director of Sustainability at Albert stores. In total, 13 refrigerated vans have been delivered in the last five years. The donation also includes an operating contribution of CZK 1.4 million.
Last year was a stress test for food banks. "Year-on-year, there was again an increase in the number of people in need who received food aid from us. During the floods we helped another 50,000 affected people. We have proven that we are the primary safety net in difficult life situations," says Aleš Slavíček, Chairman of the Czech Federation of Food Banks, adding, "Our operation is about hard work. Every day, morning and evening, we deliver unsaleable food, and thanks to logistics support and two new refrigerated vans, we can deliver even more fresh food. We're excited to push our collaboration with Albert and find ways to save more food."
At the end of last year, Albert donated two additional vans to the Food Banks to help distribute food to the needy. On the same day, the retailer made a commitment to donate a total of 4,000 tonnes of food in 2025. In the photo: Aleš Slavíček, Chairman of the Czech Federation of Food Banks and Jiří Mareček, Director of Sustainability at Albert stores.
