Leftover food from the Olympic Village in Rio is being prepared by a group of international chefs and served to the poor. They want to continue the initiative after the Olympics are over as well.

Massimo Botura (left). Photo by br1dotcom.

The Olympics in Brazil has come under fire for several reasons, not in the least because of its lack of sustainability. Large areas of Brazil are struggling with poverty, corruption and dramatic income inequality and there’s a good chance that the country will end up in a financial hole after the Olympic Games. Overall, for the average Brazilian, the odds are that the Olympics will have a negative effect.

A group of chefs is working hard to minimize that effect. Massimo Bottura, who runs the three-Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, and Brazil’s David Hertz are producing 5,000 meals a day from food left over by the 11,000 athletes staying in the Olympic Village.

They drew inspiration from Refetterio Ambrosiano, an Italian initiative that was launched in Italy last year. They’re also using food which would otherwise be thrown away.

‘RefettoRio Gastromotiva is going to work only with ingredients that are about to be wasted, like ugly fruit and vegetables, or yoghurt that is going to be wasted in two days if you don’t buy it,’ Mr Hertz said. ‘We want to fight hunger and provide access to good food.’

Gastromotiva will continue after the Olympic and Paralympic games are over as a social initiative, while also providing vocational training for aspiring restaurant professionals. It’s a great initiative which could go a long way towards providing food to Rio’s impoverished.