1,820 food boxes distributed thanks to the recovery of surplus meals.
Around 910 kg of food recovered as part of the school catering service.
Over 40 households supported through the coordination of municipal Social Services.
1 The context
Reducing food waste is an important area of sustainability, especially in services where meal production must meet organisational, educational and social needs every day. Even when food is good and already prepared, some of the surplus risks not being used, resulting in a loss of food, environmental and economic resources.
In this context, recovering meals in school catering can become a tool that combines care for resources with social solidarity. Collaboration between food service companies, Municipalities and Social Services makes it possible to identify real needs in the local area, ensuring concrete help for people in vulnerable situations.
2 The initiative
Un Bel Gesto was launched in 2025 in collaboration with Diapason Digital and is promoted at municipal level in the areas served by Matilde Ristorazione. The project is based on an app that allows the municipal Social Services to identify, confidentially and in compliance with privacy principles, people who may need to receive a meal.
As part of the school catering service, Matilde Ristorazione enables the recovery of surplus meals and enters the number of available boxes into the system every day. The boxes are then made available to the beneficiaries selected by the Municipalities, with Social Services keeping a central role in coordinating and regulating the service.
3 The result
The project makes it possible to make good use of already prepared meals that would otherwise risk being thrown away, turning a potential surplus into a useful resource for the local area. The initiative thus combines two complementary dimensions: reducing food waste and supporting the most vulnerable people through a simple, safe and coordinated model.
Thanks to the involvement of the schools run by Matilde Ristorazione and collaboration with the Municipalities, Un Bel Gesto helps strengthen a local support network capable of benefiting entire households. The use of accessible digital tools also makes the process more orderly, traceable and respectful of beneficiaries’ privacy.