Transforming unsold bread into beer: Franco, Emanuela, and Gianni's idea to combat food waste.

La overripe fruit, milk forgotten in the refrigerator, it expired yogurt and the bread we let go moldy: too many are the quantities of food we throw away in our homes every day. In particular, as emerges from the data collected by Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation (BCFN), we Italians, every year, we waste about 65 kilograms of food per person. A fact that distances us from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Agenda. There is still much to do but a change is underway, thanks also to the entry into force of the Gadda Law No. 166 of 2016 which regulates the donation of unsold food, simplifying the bureaucratic procedures. This important innovation will reduce waste and, at the same time, help people in need.

There are still large quantities of food, especially fresh bread, that remain unsold every day in supermarkets, large-scale retail outlets in general, and bakeries. At the same time, however, the associations who, from Milan to Palermo, deal with the recovery of surplus food and its distribution to those who need it most.

ALSO READ: Food waste, how to reuse leftovers, and how to shop. Advice from catering companies.

BEER FROM BREAD

And not only that. The fight against waste also involves grassroots initiatives and responsible, courageous choices like those carried out by Franco Di Pietro, Emanuela Barbano e Gianni Giovine, Piedmontese, who have found a special way to avoid wasting leftover bread: turn it into beer.

After recovering the bread cooked in wood-fired ovens and left unsold in the Piedmontese bakeries of the Maira and Varaita Valleys, in collaboration with two young master brewer friends, Fabio e Chicco, they transform it into the special ingredient for making a craft beer with a truly unique flavor. This is how Biova beer, a project named after the traditional Piedmontese bread, soft and with a delicate flavor. These characteristics also distinguish Biova beer: light and with a hint of savory, thanks to the bread itself.

The image is taken from the Facebook page . dedicated to the “Biova beer” project

TO KNOW MORE: Solidarity bakeries, where you can donate bread to the poor every day. This avoids scandalous waste and helps the vulnerable with a small gesture.

BIOVA BEER

In particular, for each Biova batch there are over 100 kilograms of bread recovered, and not wasted. Using dry bread also allows us to reduce the use of barley malt by 30 percent, with a lower environmental impact.

But Biova isn't just one beer. It can be made with many different types of bread. A true project of The circular economy, Biova beer, in which all the different entities that care about food recovery can take part.

After agreeing to recycle the excess bread with the participating bakery, fast food restaurant, or restaurant, the closest brewery is rented, a custom recipe is created, and the craft beer is brewed: the personalized biova. This is an important opportunity for the businesses involved to raise awareness among their customers about taking concrete action against food waste.

The video, created by Franco Dipietro, creator of the Biova Beer project and director and founder of the video production company Duel: Film, tells how the bread recovered from Sirio's bakery, prepared with organic flour and baked in a wood-fired oven, is transformed into beer thanks to Chicco, master brewer:

After fermentation and bottling, the beer returns to be sold on the shelves of Sirio's bakery.

TO KNOW MORE: Our recipes for not wasting leftover stale bread

BEER FROM STALE BREAD

A beer with a special flavour, also capable of reflecting local gastronomic traditions, re-evaluating the territoryFranco, Emanuela, and Gianni, thanks to their project and their business, are promoting Melle, the small village where Biova beer production began. With just over 300 inhabitants, it is located in the province of Cuneo, in the heart of the Varaita Valley. Miss It is known for the production of “Tumin dal Mel”, the soft fresh cheese typical of the Piedmont region.

The image is taken from the Facebook page . dedicated to the “Biova beer” project

Among the objectives for the future there is now also that of producing an excellent beer starting from the recovery of the Milanese michetta and the typical carasau bread Sardinian.

The project is competing for the 2019 edition of the Non Sprecare Award. To learn more about the competition and participate, go to here!

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