Emart Donates Fresh Food to Underprivileged Groups

On the afternoon of the 29th, at Seongbuk-gu Office, Yang Geum-yeon, Director of Seongbuk-gu Food Market (from the left), Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, and Kang Jeong-mo, E-Mart Sales Manager 2, are posing for a commemorative photo during the 'Fresh Food Donation Agreement'. (Photo by E-Mart)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] Emart announced on the 30th that it will donate unsold fresh food in collaboration with Seongbuk-gu Office and Seongbuk-gu Food Bank Market.

On the previous afternoon, Emart signed an agreement on the donation of unsold fresh food with Seongbuk-gu Office and Seongbuk-gu Food Bank Market at Seongbuk-gu Office. The signing ceremony was attended by Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, Kang Jeong-mo, Emart Sales Division 2 Manager, and Yang Geum-yeon, Director of Seongbuk-gu Food Bank Market.

Emart planned this campaign to recreate resource value through the donation of fresh food that is edible but discarded.

Currently, all unsold fresh food after store closing is discarded, but products suitable for donation will be donated to free meal centers through the food bank.

Since the donated items are fresh food, Emart plans to proceed with donations based on strict classification criteria. Among frozen fresh food raw materials, items that are sold after thawing will not be donated at all, and only less than 20% of eggs that are partially damaged will be donated.

The donated fresh food will be delivered to facilities such as free meal centers through the food bank’s refrigerated and frozen cold chain system to prevent deterioration in freshness. The facilities also plan to use all donated food on the same day to ensure freshness and hygiene safety.

This donation is expected to help resolve nutritional imbalances among marginalized groups who are struggling due to recent increases in food ingredient prices.

Emart plans to expand donation stores in the future after conducting a pilot test at one store, Mia Branch.

Emart estimated that about 26% of the fresh food discarded annually could be donated through this campaign.

Lee Kyung-hee, Emart’s ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) Manager, said, “Donating unsold fresh food is a campaign that benefits the environment, society, and the company by promoting resource circulation, improving the diet of marginalized groups, and reducing costs. Emart will continue to carry out various ESG activities for the environment and society.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.