France Nantes
Loss and waste

Re-bon, Nantes gleaning network for the harvest of fruits and vegetables in the fields

Associative

Re-Bon

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Context

Worldwide, more than 30% of food intended for human consumption does not even reach our plate due to numerous food losses along the chain. At the same time, millions of people cannot afford to eat satisfactorily.

Certain products are not placed on the market, either because they do not meet cosmetic, physical or even chemical criteria, or because they constitute a surplus of production. In the 44 department in France (Loire-Atlantique), the overall tonnage of production loss is approximately 10 tonnes per week (departmental inventory).

Project

Re-Bon allows volunteers to collect fruits and vegetables intended for waste / to be thrown away, directly from the farms of Loire-Atlantique and North Vendée. We talk about gleaning, that is to say, collecting in the fields the ears of corn remained on the ground after the harvest. These products are then redistributed to local food aid associations.

The gleaning network coordinated by Re-Bon is based on the concept of Gleaning network developed by Feedback, NGO based in the United Kingdom (https://feedbackglobal.org/campaigns/gleaning-network/)

Re-bon appeals to farmers who have surpluses and then offers volunteers to come and collect fruits and vegetables for distribution to food aid structures such as the food bank, the Red Cross, Disco soups, etc.

Results:

  • 22 tonnes of fruits and vegetables recovered, redistributed and used locally
  • Over 200 gleanings and scrap recovery operations (unsellable but suitable for consumption)
  • Up to 15 volunteers mobilized for each operation, with a total of approximately 550 mobilizable volunteers
  • 18 market gardeners in the Nantes region, who regularly give access to their farms in order to organize the recovery of their fruits or vegetables

Project leader

Supported since the end of 2012 by a group of volunteers involved in the organization of Disco Soups in Nantes (festive events to raise awareness of food waste), the RE-BON association was officially created in early 2014 in order to structure its development. Join them!

Last modification : 09 Jul 2020.

Re-Bon

Nantes France

Re-Bon allows volunteers to collect fruits and vegetables intended for waste / to be thrown away, directly from the farms of Loire-Atlantique and North Vendée.

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