Supporting Efforts to Reduce Food Waste and Food Poverty in Skåne

Since 2018, Skåne Stadsmission (a city mission in Sweden) has redistributed around 200 tonnes of surplus food each year to people in need. With NOK 2 million in support from Kavli Trust, the organisation is now set to expand and further develop its operations.

“Thanks to the NOK 2 million contribution from Kavli Trust, we can strengthen the Stadsmission’s capacity and at the same time develop the concept into a social supermarket,” says Lena Wetterskog Sjöstedt, head of Skåne Stadsmission.

Kavli Trust owns and distributes the entire surplus from Kavli, Planti, and several other well-known brands to charitable causes, including in Sweden.

“Kavli is a different kind of company. Our only goal is to generate a surplus for good causes, which means that all our profits are donated to projects that make the world a slightly better place. That is why we are particularly pleased to support Skåne Stadsmission and their project, which both reduces food waste and ensures that surplus food reaches vulnerable people,” says Gerhard Bley, Managing Director of Kavli Sweden.

“Food waste has long been an important issue for us at Kavli, and together with the Stadsmission, we now have the opportunity to combine that ambition with being a responsible social actor and looking after those who may need food the most,” adds Bley.

Skåne Stadsmission is a Swedish city mission that redistributes surplus food to people in need, similar in purpose to organisations such as FareShare in the UK. It provides a range of tailored services for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.

According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, one-third of all food produced globally is wasted. In Sweden alone, 1.3 million tonnes of food are discarded every year.

Over the past two years, Skåne Stadsmission has redistributed around 200 tonnes of surplus food annually from retailers and producers to the target groups within the Stadsmission’s social programmes across Malmö municipality. In addition, roughly 100 families have received redistributed food via weekly deliveries of food parcels.

With support from Kavli Trust, Skåne Stadsmission will now expand its capacity and further develop its distribution channels. They will also explore sustainable partnerships with other organisations. The goal is to double the amount of surplus food redistributed each year, from 200 to 400 tonnes.

The increased capacity and more efficient operations will also allow the organisation to reach approximately 300 families per week.

Malmö Tops the Charts for Child Poverty

“Food waste is a global climate challenge that everyone can help tackle, both individually and collectively. At the same time that food is being thrown away, one to four percent of the Swedish population lives in food poverty,” says Sjöstedt.

A 2018 report by Save the Children ranked Malmö as the municipality with the highest child poverty rate in Sweden, with one in four families living in poverty.

Redistributing food and reducing food waste will therefore not only have environmental benefits but also important social impacts.

“Our Stadsmission collects surplus food from retail chains and distributes food parcels to families with children and young people across Malmö,” says Sjöstedt.

“This way, we help increase self-determination and our support has a greater long-term effect. It also allows us to help more people, which is crucial given that demand currently exceeds our capacity.”

Redistributing Food Through a Mini Social Supermarket

Skåne Stadsmission will also use the funds to establish a social supermarket called Matmissionen Mini. These are small shops where members can choose and purchase food at heavily reduced prices.

“This means that families can select the food they need and want,” explains Sjöstedt.

Matmissionen Mini has already been established in Stockholm, where experience shows that recipients value being able to choose their own food compared with receiving pre-packed food parcels.

Funding from Kavli Trust will also go towards purchasing a new refrigerated van and a new cold storage room.

Exploring New Opportunities for Collaboration

“With the aim of increasing efficiency in food redistribution, we are now considering alternative food bank models. We are looking at the Norwegian model, where several actors jointly operate and own food banks, as a potential model to test,” says Sjöstedt.

Currently, the initiative in Skåne is run solely by the Stadsmission, but they are exploring potential collaborations with the Red Cross, the Church of Sweden, and the Salvation Army.

Reducing Food Poverty and Social Inequality

During the funding period, the Stadsmission aims to increase the number of permanent work training placements from three to nine and the annual intake of summer interns from zero to three.

Together, these activities will help reduce food poverty and social inequality.

“As an actor in the food industry, we have a particular responsibility to promote and contribute to sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. In Norway, we have fulfilled this responsibility by providing crucial and systematic support for the establishment of all the country’s food banks,” says Inger Elise Iversen, CEO of Kavli Trust.

In Sweden, Kavli Trust has supported Gøteborg Matsentral (Gothenburg Food Bank) and Uppsala Stadsmission since 2018.

“As part of our expanding commitment in Sweden, we are now pleased to extend our support to include Skåne Stadsmission and their important work,” continues Iversen.

Kavli Trust is supporting Skåne Stadsmission with just over NOK 2 million.