Synergy and commitment are the key words of the operation that allowed to recover and redistribute 13 bluefin tuna seized by the authorities of Catania and delivered to Banco Alimentare della Sicilia Onlus to seven solidarity canteens of Sicily
It is a very important goal achieved thanks to the commitment and professionalism of many actors from the public and private sector. Banco Alimentare is a key player for the recovery, processing and redistribution of fish confiscated in Sicily for its redistribution to Sicilian charities affiliated to the Food Bank.
It took six days to carry out all the operations following the seizure and each one was fundamental for the final result: from washing to storage in cold rooms, to the assessment that the animals were fit for human consumption; from the release to the portioning to the distribution of 303 vacuum-packed lots each of about 2.5 kg for a total of 845 kg of bluefin tuna which was delivered between Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June to seven canteens affiliated with the Food Bank.
“We have to say thank you to this synergy – underlines Pietro Maugeri, President of Banco Alimentare della Sicilia Onlus. Without the commitment of all the actors involved, these tunas would have become waste because there would not have been the hygienic and sanitary conditions to manage them”.
Banco Alimentare can manage this type of recovery in favour of the needy, thanks to the “Re-Fishing” project. “The animal proteins in fish are very difficult to recover from other channels – Maugeri points out again – and they are very important for a balanced and correct diet. The Food Bank is trying to provide an adequate nutritional contribution as much as possible, therefore operations like this are very important and we hope that they can be pursued and promoted in the future”.
To reach these goals, it is fundamental to create a network of cooperation between different actors. In fact, when a large quantity of fish is seized by the authorities, the risk of throwing the fish away is very high because every step to save the fish requires a high degree of professionalism and attention to the hygienic procedures. The Food Bank in Sicily contributed largely, both in the processing of the fish and the storage, and then in the redistribution to charities of its network to support the most needed in the region.
To access the full article (in Italian), please click here
