I have never heard about the Freedge until I came to Iceland. I am not going to comment the fact that there is none in Italy.
"Freedge" refers to a concept that originated from the idea of community refrigerators or fridges that are open to the public. These fridges are typically stocked with food that is available for anyone in need. The idea behind Freedge is to reduce food waste by sharing excess food with those who may not have easy access to it. They can be found in various communities around the world, where there may be food insecurity or a surplus of food that would otherwise go to waste. People can donate excess food to the fridge, and those in need can take what they require, free of charge. It's a grassroots effort aimed at fostering community support and reducing hunger.
The concept of Freedge embodies principles of sustainability, community support, and altruism. It's a simple yet effective way for individuals and communities to come together to address food waste and food insecurity issues.
So whoever has too much or feels like sharing, can bring it to this communal fridge, set up outside so everyone can reach it 24/7: so the food doesn’t go to waste and can be shared amongst people of the community. The community keep it clean and tidy, so it is in good use at all times.
I have been impressed very much by this concept, as in a big city like the one I am from, something like this would simply not exist. In fact, not only the food, but the fridge itself, would probably disappear overnight. Not even to mention the lack of sense of community.
Here in Iceland, instead, two young activists set up the first fridge, that is regularly replenished and emptied by local people. After that one, more have added around town with the help of very receptive community members.
“We think it’s great to see the project take on a life of its own. People spread the word, bring food donations, and sometimes we hear about people that have met and gotten to know each other through the fridge. We see a lot of possibility of connecting people and at the same time increasing awareness of food waste and our planet at the same time.” Say Kamila and Marco to Icelandreview.
“Homemade dishes are also welcome as long as they are labelled correctly (tape and pen are available) with date, donor and allergenics,” explain Kamila and Marco. “Foods that can represent a health risk if the cold chain is interrupted, like certain kinds of meat, fish, eggs or dairy are treated with suspicion and [if needed,] we inspect or remove them during our cleaning. We also check if the expiration date is ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ (there’s a big difference, and it’s very confusing for people).” (Icelandreview)
“We would like to encourage universities, offices, libraries, restaurants etc, to create their own freedges,” Kamila and Marco conclude. “We believe that in this way, we can all contribute to save food and impact our environment. It can also have a good social impact by boosting a bond within communities. We can all live healthier and happier lives.” (From Icelandeview.com) see article here
Food waste in the world is a dramatic reality that sees billions of tons of food ending up in the trash. According to the analysis carried out by the FAO, food waste in the world amounts to more than 1.3 billion tons per year, equal to about one-third of total production. In short, out of the 3.9 billion tons of food produced in the world, 1.3 ends up in the garbage. Due to a lack of data, the results on Icelandic firms' food waste are relatively limited. As a result, information on waste in agriculture, fishing, fish processing, oil and fat production, dairy product manufacturing, and beverage fabrication is scarce. According to the latest data published by the Environment Agency of Iceland in 2019, yearly food waste totals 40,845.5 tonnes or 112.6 kg per person each year.
(Studentabladid.is)
Freedge is already a movement around the world, you can read everything about it here.
Iceland has the world’s northernmost freedges on the map, and it is called “Frískápur”. Find out more about the Freedge / Frískápur on Facebook, here.
All picture taken from the Facebook page of Freedge/Frískápur í 107 Vesturbær (Freedge in 107 Vesturbær)