MUMBAI:
Hunger is a global issue. Taking yet another step towards fighting hunger, Godrej Appliances, the leading home appliances major, has joined hands with Feeding India to extend its support to their #FightFoodWaste initiative as a part of its #UnHungryIndia campaign.
Godrej Appliances is supporting this initiative by contributing several community fridges called ‘Happy fridges’, which will be installed in various housing societies. Godrej’s Happy fridges will be an integral part of the leftover food collection supply chain for Feeding India. Approximately, 14.8% of the Indian population is undernourished, which accounts for a staggering number of 195.9 million people in the country, as per ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2018’ report.
Ironically, 40% of the food produced in India is either wasted or lost, as estimated by the United Nations. From storage to consumption, food wastage occurs at every level in India, be it at weddings, events, restaurants or even in households. There are many organizations, working towards helping to reduce this food wastage, by collecting the food and distributing it to the needy. Most households tend to throw away the leftover food, which could instead be used to feed the ones in need.
Feeding India has taken up #FightFoodWaste initiative to prevent wastage of food at the household level, by installing the Happy fridges in housing societies in association with Godrej Appliances. We appeal to the residents of societies to donate leftover food and store them in the community fridges. The representatives from Feeding India will then collect this food and distribute it to the underprivileged, moving a step closer to an #UnHungryIndia.
Commenting on the launch of the initiative Swati Rathi, Marketing Head – Godrej Appliances added, “The tradition of giving back to society is deeply rooted in the culture at Godrej. The brand always seeks ways to contribute to thoughtfully curated initiatives, with the purpose of serving society. This association with Feeding India is a continuation of our cause of #UnhungryIndia, which we had launched earlier in collaboration with the Mumbai Dabbawala Association where we enabled the leftover food collection and minimized its wastage during transit by providing them cycles customized with Godrej Chotukool; and later with ISKCON Food Relief Foundation’s ‘The Annamrita Project’ where we fed underprivileged children in lieu of instafood tags.
The Feeding India initiative is close to the brand’s heart. 60 years back, Godrej launched its first India made refrigerators in the journey towards making India more self-reliant and preventing food wastage. By joining hands with Feeding India and motivating people to donate leftover food for the underprivileged through community fridges, we are in a way paying homage to our roots as well. And even in societies where these community refrigerators are not available at the moment, we hope more people will step up and do their bit to preserve food in their refrigerators and pass it on, rather than throw food away.”
Ankit Kawatra, Founder and Chairman, Feeding India further added ‘The #FightFoodWaste campaign empowers people to step up and solve the problem of hunger and food waste in their community by installing a Happy Fridge. The Happy fridge truly lives upto its name as it ensures anyone who is hungry can get access to food with dignity. We are proud to have Godrej onboard for the #FightFoodWaste movement. As Feeding India works to achieve zero hunger in the country, we need more supporters like Godrej, in leading the way’.
