Hradec Králové schools launch pilot project to sell unsold lunches

Two primary schools in Hradec Králové, Bezručova and Štefánikova, have launched a pilot project called ReMeal to reduce food waste. Starting October 1, unsold school lunches will be packaged and placed in refrigerated automated vending boxes located near the schools.

Members of the public can reserve and collect these meals through a dedicated mobile application. Each meal is priced at 75 CZK. For every meal sold, the service provider, Ústav pro záchranu jídla, will donate 20 CZK to the city. These funds are earmarked to support the participating schools, specifically benefiting children in difficult social situations, while the remainder covers technical equipment and operational costs.

Mayor Pavlína Springerová noted that the city currently spends one million CZK annually on the professional disposal of uneaten school food. The pilot program will run until the end of the year, after which the city will evaluate the volume of food utilized and operational challenges to decide whether to expand the program to other municipal school cafeterias.