'Don't Waste' project saves 55M meals in Türkiye

P&G, one of the most preferred dishwashing detergent brands in Türkiye, has saved 55 million meals from being wasted through the "Don't Waste" project launched five years ago with the Food Rescue Association.

Fairy, in its ongoing efforts to prevent food waste in Türkiye, is working to expand access to food support for those in need. Through investments in the food rescue association's infrastructure and its latest venture, the company has introduced Türkiye’s first mobile food bank, aiming to reach more people and reduce food waste.

The mobile food bank, which increased the association's sustainable food donation capacity by 20%, made its first food donation in the Memurkent Container City in the Islahiye district of Gaziantep, where the Hope House complex implemented by P&G Türkiye is also located.

Company and Food Rescue Association organized an iftar in the container city for earthquake victims to share the blessings of Ramadan. At the special iftar dinner prepared by Chef Rafet Ince, consisting of local delicacies, approximately 2,000 people experienced the warmth of solidarity during Ramadan.

The company, which adds value to life and benefits society not only with its products as a dishwashing detergent brand but also with its corporate citizenship projects, has prevented 55 million meals of food from being wasted so far.

Fairy increased the number of people who can benefit from food support to 1.2 million per month with its investments in the infrastructure of the Food Protection Association. The association continues its efforts to prevent food waste with its national awareness projects on food waste.

Nutrient-rich excess food reaches those in need

Stating that they believe in adding value to life and benefiting society with their projects, Vice President of Commercial Operations for P&G Türkiye, Caucasus and Central Asia Fabric, Home, Baby and Feminine Care Deger Kurtaslanoglu said: "We have prevented 55 million meals of food from being wasted with our ‘Don’t Waste’ project, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

We have touched the lives of 15 million people with our awareness campaigns. This has helped save 51,450 tons of carbon emissions. After the earthquake disaster last year, we directed our project to the earthquake region and increased the aid capacity to 1 million people per month. Today, we are making a brand new expansion. With the investment we made as Fairy, we are realizing Türkiye’s first mobile food bank and increasing the monthly capacity of people who can benefit from food support by 20% to 1.2 million people."

Emphasizing that their new investment will serve as a highly accessible food bank, Kurtaslanoglu said, "The mobile food bank will make it easier to access food with fixed installations for those in need. It will also help in realizing the principle of fair distribution. It has the potential to serve a broader area and facilitate the distribution of food donations to a wider geography, thus preventing waste on a larger scale.”

Noting that the Food Rescue Association, with its strong distribution network, also supports the provision of food donations in the region, Kurtaslanoglu said that by cooperating with local markets, they would be able to collect more food and thus ensure the security of access to food for more people.

In Islahiye, where the mobile food bank conducted its first food donation, Fairy also organized an iftar dinner for 2,000 people, consisting of Gaziantep's local dishes, to keep the spirit of Ramadan alive.

Kurtaslanoglu stated that their goal was to create an iftar experience in a warm, family-oriented setting with cherished flavors of the region and said, "As Fairy, we wanted to be here on this special evening with the Food Rescue Association and Chef Rafet Ince, one of our most successful chefs who embraces our local cuisine culture, in order to experience and share the abundance of the tables in the earthquake region.

The iftar menu prepared by Ince, with assistance from popular social media personalities, showcased flavors that were cherished and missed by the local community. After iftar, we wanted to make our children smile with Karagoz-Hacivat and Orta Oyun shows, keeping our Ramadan traditions alive. Seeing children having fun and being happy increases our hopes for the future even more."

Sustainable food donation capacity increased by 20%

Founding Member of the Food Rescue Association Olcay Silahli emphasized that the “Don't Waste Food” project is of great importance in saving food and delivering it to citizens with limited access to food: “One-third of food is wasted, and this situation is responsible for 11% of greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change and threaten food security.

In Türkiye, households alone waste 93 kilograms of food per person per year. When losses and waste in the supply chain are taken into account, the country wastes a total of 26 million tons of food. This campaign, with the motto "Don't Waste, Don't Waste," is of great value for both the world and our nation. Unfortunately, in this five-year period, we have witnessed extraordinary unfortunate events such as earthquakes, epidemics, floods and fires. “Bosa harcama”, or “Empty Spending” has also turned into a solidarity project during these extraordinary times and has become an important part of the effort to heal our social wounds."

Emphasizing that "Don't Waste" was the first national awareness campaign to combat food waste, Silahlı said, "With more than 100 million views, it fostered an environment for the behavioral change needed to prevent waste and ensure fair access to food."

Emphasizing that "Bosa Harcama" has also made a difference as a project that has expanded national food donation and food banking capacities, Silahli stated that in the fifth year of the "Bosa Harcama" project, they broke new ground in Türkiye by launching the mobile food bank concept.

Silahli also stated that the logistics infrastructure developed with Fairy has increased the sustainable donation operation capacity by 20% this year. He added that they will continue to rescue surplus food that has lost its sales qualification in the market for various reasons but is still suitable for human consumption. This food will be delivered to deserving communities that have difficulty accessing food. Silahli aims to continue accelerating the impact they've achieved in the past five years in the upcoming years.

Missed local flavors

Expressing his pleasure to take part in a project in Memurkent for the second time with Fairy, Chef Ince said, "We organized our first iftar organization with Fairy last year to heal the wounds of the earthquake disaster that we experienced with deep sorrow as a country.  We prepared iftar menus for four evenings and delivered them to a total of 2,000 people in Gaziantep. I am very happy to come to the earthquake zone once again this Ramadan and be a part of this project. It is very important that every citizen in the region has access to sustainable and healthy food. The project, which has grown in scope this year in cooperation with Fairy and the Food Rescue Association, is of great importance in this respect. On the first days of Ramadan this year, we prepared iftar meals for approximately 2,000 citizens in Memurkent together with volunteers and social media influencers. While creating the menus, we took care to include the local flavors that people yearn to taste again. We had the opportunity to relive the spirit of togetherness and solidarity that Ramadan offers us. I sincerely thank everyone who contributed to this iftar table we set up in the earthquake zone."