If you still happen to see chocolate eggs on the shelves of some supermarket, know that it is not an oversight: the Orthodox celebrate Easter tomorrow, May 5th. True: those faithful to this ritual generally resort to authentic, hand-decorated eggs. But there are always those who allow themselves to be contaminated by other people’s traditions. We wondered, however, what happens to most of the chocolate eggs immediately after Christian Easter. And we discovered that, from discounts on the original price of the product to its reuse, from donations to those most in need to composting, the fight against waste in recent years has fueled and continues to fuel virtuous circles. Clubs that are also born from corporate social responsibility and a renewed sense of community.
A law against waste
After the Easter period, in fact, both large-scale retail trade and pastry shops and chocolate shops tend to facilitate sales with significant discounts that can reach up to 50-60%. This price cutting strategy aims to avoid overstocking. As for chocolate eggs, it is not uncommon for them to be used in the short term to create new confectionery products: it happens in pastry and chocolate shops, but also in large-scale retail trade. Which is not only economically advantageous for companies, but represents an example of responsible reuse of raw materials with consequent reduction in waste.
Another important initiative taken to manage surpluses is donation for charitable purposes. Thanks to the “anti-waste law” (166 of 2016, in force since 14 September of the same year), which aims to promote the recovery of surplus products by leveraging two fundamental principles guaranteed by our Constitution, namely subsidiarity and solidarity, companies can donate unsold food to organizations that pursue social goals, thus benefiting from tax breaks.
If the products are no longer suitable for consumption, they can instead be destined forself-composting (a way of managing organic waste that consists of recycling biodegradable residues into compost directly in the place where they are produced) or at aerobic compostinga technique by which food residues are transformed into compost or humus, to be used as natural fertilizers.
The anti-waste strategies of some manufacturing companies
Objective zero waste, therefore. Also for manufacturing companies that demonstrate that they are studying consumer demand trends with increasing attention. Among the brands that responded to our questions, Ferrero announces that «over the years, in order to minimize returns of unsold products, we have activated mitigation actions aimed at calibrating with ever greater precision the planning, quantification and distribution of Easter eggs – and more generally of all our products – placed in the individual sales points of the distribution chains. Part of the eggs distributed by Ferrero is still available on the market today. The eggs will remain available to consumers interested in purchasing them and to those involved in the Orthodox Easter celebrations, today 5 May. In any case, whatever remains unsold on that date, it will be withdrawn from stores in the same month of May. These productsmade up of noble raw materials with high nutritional value such as milk, sugar or hazelnuts, with a view to an ever greater propensity to reduce food waste by promoting circular economy and waste reduction practices, can be further transformed. And become raw material in the livestock sector, for example, within a compatible feed chain.”
Similar strategy for the Bauli Group: «Every year, before starting the production phase of chocolate eggs, our team takes care of making estimates that are as accurate as possible, based on large-scale retail demand and sales forecasts, market analyzes and research. This aspect is fundamental for us because allows us to minimize unsold items, trying to avoid overproduction and waste, and to guarantee a better service to our customers. What is called optimal management of the warehouse and the point of sale. Once the Easter campaign is over, the product that returns to the company is scrupulously analyzed. The one left in perfect condition (on pallets and intact packaging) passes our quality control: the chocolate is then melted and reused for the following Easter campaign. Regarding surprises, where possible, they are used for further purposes, one above all that of charitable activities. Finally, if the perfect quality of the product cannot be ensured, this is the case of damaged packaging, the eggs are disposed of.”
And supermarkets? The practice, as happens for example in long Sis to «withdraw Easter eggs from sale in the two weeks following the Christian holiday and to return them based on agreements made with individual producers». Carrefourhowever, still has a few shelves dedicated to these sweets: a tribute to all Orthodox fans of the genre.
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