24-06-2024 | di COOPI

Milan. Inauguration of the neighborhood Hub against food waste in Piazzale Selinunte

The new Selinunte Food Hub was inaugurated on June 21 in Milan, in the presence of deputy Mayor Anna Scavuzzo, at the food distribution point managed by COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale. Located in Piazzale Selinunte, in City Hall 7, this hub adds to the city's network of centers against food waste: it is the sixth of its kind in the city, flanking those already active in Gallaratese, Centro, Isola, Lambrate and Foody. In this way, the experience of the Neighborhood Hubs - launched in 2019 by the City of Milan together with Fondazione Cariplo, QuBì Program, Assolombarda and Politecnico di Milano, thanks to a co-design process that involved more than 20 third-sector, public and private entities - is expanding. The Neighborhood Hubs project was financed thanks to resources from the first edition of the Earthshot Prize, won by the City of Milan in 2021 for the implementation of its Food Policy.

The initiative aims to reduce food waste by recovering surpluses from large-scale distribution and the Milan Food Market, redistributing them to people in economically fragile conditions. This innovation represents a significant step forward in the management of food distribution on a municipal scale. The operation of product collection and delivery in City Hall 7 is provided by COOPI, which has been active in food distribution in San Siro, Baggio and other areas of Milan since 1999, carrying out the “Contrasto alla povertà” project that now regularly reaches more than 2,000 people and will be further enhanced by the new Hub.

The inauguration was attended by Anna Scavuzzo, deputy mayor of the City of Milan, and Claudio Ceravolo, President of COOPI, as well as Silvia Fossati, President of City Hall 7; Alessandro Perego, Professor of Logistics Management and Pro Rector for Sustainable Development and Impact at the Politecnico di Milano; Angela Melodia, Senior Manager Innovation and Development at Snam Foundation; Laura Ferrari, President of Assolombarda Food Group; and Valentina Cairo, from the Research Area of Fondazione Cariplo.

The President of COOPI expressed his satisfaction with the opening of the new Hub:

We are really pleased to be able to join the action of the city's Food Hubs, with the experience and the knowledge we have gained over the years about the territory and its needs."

Ceravolo then explained the innovative aspect put in place with the creation of this Hub:

The opening of the Hub allows the start-up of a logistics hub with distribution capacity in all areas of Municipality 7, aimed at facilitating the distribution of food expenditures in a capillary manner precisely from the recovery of surpluses, thus also allowing to decrease the environmental impact due to transportation."

The inauguration continued with a ribbon cutting by institutional representatives and the President of COOPI, who opened the opportunity for everyone to visit the hub, viewing the space and listening to testimonies from COOPI operators.

The inauguration concluded with the unloading of packages from the COOPI van, used for distribution, in the presence of Anna Scavuzzo.