Appliance brand Grundig has announced that it is to be one of the partners of Food for Soul, the cultural non-profit organisation founded by chef Massimo Bottura, and the launch of its first international project outside of Italy.
Grundig says that it has a ‘strong eco conscience’ so champions the ongoing issue of reducing the world’s food waste; an average of 1.3 billion tonnes of edible food is thrown away each year.
The importance of sustainability drives the brand to design product features that ensure food remains fresher for longer, while consuming less energy, Grundig says. This shared philosophy with Massimo Bottura’s Food for Soul organisation offers the perfect platform to raise awareness of global food waste while helping people reduce their household’s food wastage.
In Rio de Janeiro this month, ‘Refettorio Gastromotiva’, the first international Food for Soul project outside of Italy will launch. Aided by Grundig’s partnership, ‘Refettorio Gastromotiva’ will form part of the Rio 2016 Olympic Committee’s Sustainable Food Initiative and will be equipped with Grundig appliances to help the team maximise food longevity and offer the highest quality culinary support.
This unique soup kitchen project, staffed by Massimo Bottura and other leading international chefs, collaborates with Gastromotiva, a Brazilian non-profit organisation founded by David Hertz. It aims to transform the lives of socially vulnerable people through food.
The chefs will cook nutritious meals with food recovered from the surplus produced by the athlete’s village in Rio over the next three weeks. 10,500 athletes from 205 different countries of the world will consume nearly 14 million meals during their time in Rio, meaning that several tonnes of waste will be produced. ‘Refettorio Gastromotiva’ will reuse more than 12 tonnes of recovered food from the athletes village, creating 19,000 meals (120 meals a day) served in the space.
The kitchen has been built on a piece of land provided by the City of Rio de Janeiro on the Rua da Lapa 108. Award-winning Brazilian creatives including the artist Vik Muniz, the designers the Campana Brothers and lighting designer Maneco Quinderé are offering their pro bono commitment to design both the interiors and furniture, while Metro Architecture is managing the building project.
In addition, the ‘Refettorio Gastromotiva’ will be a hub for projects related to food and social inclusion to nourish both the body and the soul. It will offer community workshops on nutrition and healthy eating for families, cooks and school managers, as well as workshops on the full use of food.
Grundig parent company Arçelik chief executive Hakan Bulgurlu commented: “Grundig is delighted to be involved in this unique cultural project. The synergy between Grundig and Food for Soul is built on an authentic respect for food to ultimately waste less and feed more.”
