Brazilian chef David Hertz and Italian chef Massimo Bottura are taking on Rio de Janeiro’s hunger problem (one exacerbated by Brazil’s worst economic crisis in decades) by using surplus food from the cafeterias of the Olympic Village, the Olympic Media Center, and the staff of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The chefs’ RefettoRio Gastromotiva initiative takes ingredients that may otherwise be thrown out (unshapely produce or products nearing their use-by dates) and using them to produce 5,000 nutritious meals per day for starving residents of the city.
“We want to fight hunger and provide access to good food,” Hertz told Reuters.
Over the course of the Olympics and Paralympics, the Olympic Village will host and house over 18,000 athletes, coaches, staff, officials, and volunteers.
The group hopes to continue to provide free meals to city residents past the end of the Olympic Games, relying on donations.
“For now it’s still only a dream,” Hertz told Reuters. “We need strategic partners to make this happen. It seems amazing but we need investors.”
To learn more about Gastromotiva, visit their website.
Great story