FEAD 2018 Catalogue of case studies

Belgium – Distributing freshly made soup using unsold products Federal Public Service for Social Integration, Anti-Poverty and Social Economy Images © Yulia Davidovich, Shutterstock.com, 2018 WHY? In Belgium, people living under the poverty line lack access to healthy and nutritious food, which puts their own health and that of their families at risk . At the same time, large amounts of food are thrown away daily by the food industry, retailers and households alike. Wasted food includes leftovers, fresh food, takeaways, packaged and long-life products that could satisfy the needs of deprived people, but remain unsold or unused. Acknowledging the severity of these issues and their interrelation, the Belgian Federal Public Service for Social Integration, Anti-Poverty and Social Economy aims at tackling both challenges simultaneously. WHAT? The project provides access to fresh and nutritious food to the most deprived, while combating food waste . Social enterprises, procured by the FEAD Managing Authority, oversee the production and distribution of soup made out of unsold but still fresh vegetables and vegetable-based products. This is a unique offer in the Belgian food aid landscape, as providing fresh vegetable-based products is notoriously difficult. By involving social enterprises , the project also contributes to developing the social pillar of the Belgian economy. This can promote job creation for the target group, which can get engaged in the work of these enterprises. In the long-term, the project can thus spur the social integration of vulnerable groups. The successful combination of these multiple aims is what makes this project a unique and interesting case, and an important contribution to the fight against poverty. Diverse approaches to supporting Europe’s most deprived: FEAD case studies 2018 10