Arla gifts 15 tonnes of cheese to the socially vulnerable

Russian import ban of EU dairy products reason behind donation

Dairy co-operative Arla is donating 15 tonnes of cheese to non-profit organisation fødevareBanken.

The company specialises in sourcing excess-food donations from the food industry and giving them to the socially-vulnerable in Denmark.

Originally destined for the Russian market, the cheese will be handed over to fødevareBanken due to the country's import ban on EU dairy products in August.

READ MORE: Russian import ban a step back for Arla

Homeless to benefit
The food, which would otherwise have been discarded, will benefit thousands of socially-vulnerable citizens across the country – from the homeless to drug addicts and the mentally ill.

"We do not wish for good food to go to waste," said Maja Møller, the head of CSR at Arla, in a press release.

"We're more than happy for fødevareBanken to benefit from our leftover products, which would have been discarded anyway."

Arla will deliver the 15 tonnes in several shipments spread out across November. The products in question are the feta-like Arla Apetina and the cream-cheese brand Arla Natura.

Win-win situation
"We are very pleased with Arla's huge donation, which will be of benefit to thousands of citizens," remarked Karen-Inger Thorsen, the head of fødevareBanken, on the organisation's website 

"Also, the cheese won't go to waste, so it's a win-win situation."