Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has distributed more than 50.7 million kilos of food from the European programme to help disadvantaged people

This volume of food in the second phase, which runs from 12 September to 30 October, represents 64% of the total quantities to be distributed in the 2022 programme. The food is delivered to the storage and distribution centres of the partner organisations in all Spanish provinces.

The European programme is 100% co-financed in 2022 by the Cohesion and Territories of Europe Recovery Assistance Fund (REACT-EU to increase support for the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived Persons (FEAD), with the aims of addressing the situation of those who have been socially and economically affected by the pandemic, promoting a green, digital and resilient recovery of the economy, and enabling the transition to the new period where food aid is integrated into the European Social Fund Plus.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), through FEGA, purchases the food through a public tender procedure, and the Ministries of Social Rights and Agenda 2030 and of Labour and Social Economy also take part in its management.

Public tender offers are open to all European Union (EU) companies manufacturing or placing the food to be tendered on the market. Therefore, criteria that favour companies from one EU country to the detriment of another cannot be laid down.

This 2022 programme consists of two supply phases and will involve the distribution of 79.530 million kilos/litres of food over the entire year. Once the food has been purchased, it is distributed free of charge to the underprivileged beneficiaries of this European programme.

The products are delivered to all provinces in Spain and distributed through the food banks and the provincial Red Cross centres, which in turn distribute to some 5,400 distribution partner organisations. The final beneficiaries of the aid are approximately 1.321 million people.

The food distributed is of a basic nature, not easily perishable, and easy to transport and store. In this second phase, quality staple foods such as white rice, boiled beans, canned tuna, pasta, fried tomato, biscuits, vegetable salad, instant cocoa, fruit and chicken baby food, UHT whole milk and olive oil will be supplied free of charge.

Non official translation