Germany: EDEKA and Wittekindshof are saving ripe fruits

Food waste is a social issue of increasing importance. EDEKA Minden-Hannover is also constantly working to making a contribution to reducing food waste. This includes the project "Love² - Save Ripe Fruit". It collects fruit and vegetables, no longer suitable for sale, but still too good to throw away, giving them a "second life" as a chutney. Production is carried out by the Diakonisches Stiftung Wittekindshof in Bad Oeynhausen. Love² is now available exclusively at the EDEKA centers in Minden and Porta Westfalica, at EDEKA Röthemeier on Lübbecker Straße in Dützen and soon also at the WEZ market on the Ringstraße.

Crooked carrots, soft tomatoes, pears that are too big or too small - often there are fruits and vegetables that do not look perfect. But these products are not inedible; they could be consumed without hesitation. Through Love², ripe fruits and less than perfect vegetables get a second chance by turning them into delicious chutneys, putting them up for sale again at the EDEKA markets. Through this project, EDEKA Minden-Hannover is making a mark against food waste.

Love² also relies on integration and participation. Thanks to partner Diakonisches Stiftung Wittekindshof, persons with disabilities can produce these high-quality chutneys according to recipes of the EDEKA nutritional service. Thus, the added value remains directly in the region.

Chutneys made from overripe fruits and vegetables
Employees of the Wittekindshof pick up overripe and less than perfect-looking fruit and vegetables directly at the markets in Minden and Porta Westfalica. There they will already be presorted. At the Wittekindshofer Manufructur, employees process the goods into delicious chutneys - basically without any artificial additives. First, there are the chutneys in six different flavors: apple-carrot, Mediterranean pepper, tomato-onion, carrot-pear, spicy caramel-onion and onion-ginger. A 210 gram cup costs 2.99 euros. For the future, fruit spreads are also being planned, consisting mainly of seasonal fruit.

Source: Edeka Association