Food donations to OSF Food Kitchens

Food donations can help us to meet high levels of demand.

Every day OSF consumes an enormous quantity of food. In fact, an average of around 2000 meals a day means 30,810 kg of pasta, 8304 kg of rice, 20,226 kg of tomato purée, 9939 litres of sunflower and olive oil, 79,054 kg of fruit and 27,182 kg of sweets a year. For this reason, it is important and very useful to receive donations of these materials from companies.

Basic rules

The basic rules:

foods must not be past their use by date
foods must be intact;
foods must have a reasonable use by date (to allow for processing times and their introduction to the weekly menu);
the quantities of foods donated must enable all guests to eat the same menu wherever possible.

As regards the various products

Pasta: short and ridged (other types are not suitable for large quantities because they are not compatible with the cooking procedures used).

Cheese: better if single-portion: mozzarella, caciotta etc.

Meat: portioned chicken or turkey. No pork.

Fruit: all fruit that can be distributed singularly is suitable: apples, pears, peaches, apricots, kiwis, etc.

Sweets: only packed, single-portion sweets are allowed.

Fish: at the moment, only frozen fish is used.

Oil: both sunflower and olive oil donations are welcome.

Drinks: we can only accept donations of soft drinks in ½ litre plastic bottles. We cannot distribute soft drinks in glass bottles or cans.

Tins: we accept tinned legumes (beans, chick peas, lentils), preferably in large cans.

Biodegradable plates, cutlery and cups: out of respect for the environment, OSF began using biodegradable tableware some time ago in both Food Kitchens and consumes vast quantities. Donations of these articles, which are also very expensive, are therefore very welcome.