In Stockholm, a "social supermarket" offers rock-bottom prices to help those in need.

A way to curb food waste and, at the same time, meet the needs of poor families who can purchase a product that is about to expire but still good, at very low prices.

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social supermarket stockholm poor people

Help people in difficulty and avoid unnecessary wasteThis is the mission of the NGO. Stockholm Stadsmission, which opened a shop in Stockholm in 2015 social supermarket able to offer its customers rock-bottom prices for foodA formula that was very useful years ago, in the wake of the economic crisis, and which has become extremely useful again in recent weeks, during which the health emergency is also having serious economic consequences in Sweden.

STOCKHOLM SOCIAL SUPERMARKET

To become a customer of this special supermarket you have to prove to be a indigent person, who are already entitled to state income support subsidies or sickness benefits. Access is also permitted to students And, in the coming weeks, the facility's doors could also be opened to anyone who needs it. As for prices, the discount is made possible by the social supermarket's supply chain, which deals with goods that are about to be phased out by the big chains because they are close to their expiration date or have defective packaging. Thus, in addition to saving over a third of the original price, it allows us to avoid part of the enormous food waste that is perpetrated daily by large groups. The hope of Stockholm Stadsmission is to be able to reduce the 686 thousand tons of wasted food every year by the Swedes.

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SOLIDARITY SHOPPING IN SWEDEN

Opened in the aAutumn 2015, specifically inside the "Social Supermarket" you can find products donated by chains no longer sellable in large-scale distribution due to an aesthetic defect, for example, think of overripe fruit, therefore 'ugly', or that presents packaging problems. However, even foods and packaging in perfect condition and with a long expiration date can end up on the shelves simply because it often happens that large-scale retail trade has errors in orders, so the stores are overstocked. And instead of leaving the products to rot in the warehouse, they prefer to donate them to the NGO.

SWEDEN SOCIAL SUPERMARKET

Formats of this type have proliferated in many places around the world over the past two decades, from France to Romania, from England to Switzerland. Alongside food banks, which allow consumers to get free food, these types of social supermarkets also tend to preserve the dignity of people who, even at discounted prices, pay for what they get. A principle that has also taken hold in Italy, where more and more chains, two or three hours before closing, they significantly depreciate the price of products with the aim of avoiding waste and at the same time, allowing those who have a little more difficulty to do their shopping at more reasonable prices.

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