The American College of Greece (ACG) is now a proud member of the newly formed Alliance for the Reduction of Food Waste, an initiative brought forth by the NGO Boroume and AB Vasilopoulos.
A mix of public authorities, well-known companies, food and service businesses from all areas of the supply chain, social impact organizations, and academic and research institutions, come together in order to build strong synergies and assume collective action against food waste and food loss. The Alliance operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment & Energy.
Why an Alliance for Food Waste?
This is a global issue with direct negative impact on the environment, society, and the economy, that concerns us all. Globally one third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. That is the equivalent of 28% of our planet’s agriculture land, an area the size of China! Water waste is another serious implication, with 24% of the total water usage in agriculture being wasted. Greece, unfortunately, holds the fourth position within the EU on food waste, with an estimated 196kg of food thrown away per inhabitant compared to the EU average of 173kg, during a time when 1.4 million people (12.9% of our population) living in Greece are experiencing food insecurity.
Statistics such as the above are what brought us together to help reduce food waste in our country through strong collaborative action. In the context of the Alliance, its members will raise awareness about this crucial issue, educate the public on how we can prevent food waste, highlight and disseminate best practices, exchange knowledge and ideas, promote research and innovation, promote and donate any surplus food to social impact organizations, and advocate for public policy on preventing and reducing food waste and food loss in Greece.
ACG, Boroume, and the Alliance
ACG has established an MoU with Boroume since November 2018, in the context of which we are participating in the organization’s farmers’ market initiative “Boroume stin laiki”, by adopting a farmers’ market in Cholargos, collecting the food donated by its vendors, and offering it to the local church that hosts a daily soup kitchen for people in need. This initiative is one of ACG’s ongoing volunteer activities, highlights the College’s commitment to sustainability, overall, and, specifically to the pillar of social impact. As such, becoming a member of this Alliance, was the next step to reinforce our commitment to preventing and reducing food waste.