MONTREAL - Moisson Montréal now has the means to take a giant step in the fight against hunger and for sustainable development, thanks to a $150,000 donation from FCC. "We are pleased to announce the official launch of a new fruit and vegetable bagging line with a capacity of 1,000 kg per hour. This semi-automated line, funded by the FCC donation, now allows Moisson Montréal to accept, in quantities unprecedented in the sector, surplus fruits and vegetables from producers in order to redistribute them to organizations that feed people and families in need," said Richard D. Daneau, executive director of Moisson Montréal.
Need for food increases during the pandemic
Between April 2020 and March 2021, Moisson Montréal distributed more than $117,000,000 in food to Montreal organizations and to other Moissons and food banks in Canada, 44% more than during the same period the previous year.
A bold pilot project to reduce food waste
Agricultural producers are often faced with a difficult decision when they have a large surplus of fresh food. Although there is a strong desire to donate these surpluses, there is a lack of organizations that can accept them. Previously, the food aid network was not adequately equipped to quickly collect and redistribute industrial quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables in bulk. "FCC is pleased to partner with Moisson Montréal, the largest food bank in the Canadian system, to meet this challenge," said Louis Turcotte, FCC senior director, corporate and commercial financing. "We hope the organization can act as a hub for all of Eastern Canada. To donate large quantities of fresh (or frozen) fruit or vegetables, agri-food businesses can contact Moisson Montréal, which now has the equipment needed to accept these large-scale donations."
Bonduelle responds to the call
"Bonduelle is pleased with the collaboration between FCC and Moisson Montréal on the launch of this revolutionary project," said Jean-Pierre Haché, vice-president quality, health and safety and IT at Bonduelle. "Bonduelle will use this endeavour as an opportunity to replicate this model elsewhere in North America in order to give more back to the communities in which the company operates. We hope that this project will resonate with other manufacturers who wish to give back and are facing similar constraints. It is proof that everything is possible with the right people around the table to make it happen. We are grateful to all Bonduelle employees, current and former, as well as Moisson Montréal and FCC who collaborated to make this project a reality."
Bonduelle, longtime partner of food banks such as Moisson Montréal, answered the call from the very beginning of the project by not only donating foodstuffs to feed the bagging line, but also by offering valuable technical advice that significantly helped the project come to fruition.
"Moisson Montréal is deeply grateful to FCC, Bonduelle and to all the players who joined in so enthusiastically to enable us to offer more fruits and vegetables to our community network. This initiative satisfies a critical need and helps promote healthy eating habits," said Daneau.
Source : Cision