The value of the social impact of the regional system of market withdrawals in the fruit and vegetable sector
On February 17 2025, just a few days before the conclusion of the LOWINFOOD project, the LOWINFOOD partner Emilia-Romagna Region hosted the event “The value of the social impact of the regional system of market withdrawals in the fruit and vegetable sector” in Bologna. Emilia-Romagna Region replicated in Romania its innovation: The S.I.R. platform (Sistema Informativo dei Ritiri), a system for efficiently managing the procedure of fruit and vegetables withdrawing from the market and distributed by charities to the poor.
The project coordinator Clara Cicatiello (UNITUS) recalled the steps of LOWINFOOD, including both good results and the challenges faced by the partners. Federico Tonegatti, from UNIBO, presented the recent research work on the quantification of the social impact of the S.I.R. platform: through a participatory method involving all the actors, the social impact was calculated in terms of Social Return On Investment – SROI. The work highlighted the role of public bodies in the coordination of food recovery and support to the Third Sector, reaching people at risk of food poverty and often in conditions of social distress.
The event also hosted a round table, entitled “The evolution of the organisational model: state of the art and perspectives” in which several stakeholders participated, including agri-food associations and centres, NGOs, universities, as well as Stefano Bonaccini, MEP Member of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
Learn more: https://progeu.regione.emilia-romagna.it/en/lowinfood/news/the-social-impact-of-the-market-withdrawals-regional-system-through-s-i-r-platform?set_language=en
Watch below the event recorded: