“We are looking for ways to take advantage of fruits and vegetables that we no longer want to offer to our customers because their quality does not meet our stringent requirements. These are mostly fruits and vegetables that are damaged, for example, during handling or transportation, while they are still completely harmless.
Last year, as part of a pilot project, we therefore collaborated with ZOO Safari Park in Dvůr Králové, which was the first. We then approached another zoo and the response that followed was a pleasant surprise for us.” describe Petr BaudyšHead of Quality at PENNY and continued: “In a very short time, we started working with almost twenty orchards, where we supplied 18 tonnes of fruit and vegetables in the pilot phase of the project alone.”

Fruit and vegetable quality checks are carried out at the PENNY store every two hours. So far, employees sort out fruits and vegetables that, for example, do not meet aesthetic qualities or that need to be consumed, in the shortest possible time. These fruits and vegetables meet all health standards and are completely harmless to animals. . The support and supply of such fruits and vegetables is a significant help to the zoo, as the animals receive high quality and healthy food thanks to it. “This collaboration is important to us. We feed more than 60 tons of fruit and vegetables every year in our ZOO. To illustrate, a bear consumes 15 kilograms per day, one camel 2 kilograms, our herd of bison about 80 kilograms, and so on. describe Even Korecowner and director of ZOO Tábor. “Throughout the year, we receive tons of fruit and vegetables from PENNY, and thanks to this, our animals have a steady supply of exotic fruits that we sometimes have a hard time finding. It’s not just about fighting waste, it’s also about enriching the menu.”

Zoos involved in the project as of April 13, 2022:
• Brno Zoo
• ZLO Zlin Lešná
• ZOO Hluboká and Vltavou
• ZOO Stí nad Labem
• Hodonín Zoo
• ZOO Vyškov
• Valmez . Fauna Park
• Tabor Zoo
• Zoo
• ZOO Dvur Králove
• ZOO Liberec
• ZOO Chomutov
• ZOOpark Nova íše
• Zoo Zoo
• ZOOpark Jesenik
• Play in the zoo
• ZOOpark Radonice
• ZELčín ZOO
• Lipec . rescue station

The collaboration with the zoo proved to be very successful in the pilot phase of the project, so PENNY plans to continue to expand the project and involve other zoos and zoos. “We want to be good neighbors wherever we operate. Therefore, in the next phase of the project, we want to involve not only large zoos, but also smaller corner zoos or zoos near our more than 400 shops in throughout the country. We hope that thanks to this cooperation, we can save tens of tons of fruit and vegetables every year, “ supply Petr Baudyš.

PENNY is very active in the fight against food waste. It has been working closely with the Food Bank for a long time, which last year contributed 8 million crowns to the purchase of a new warehouse in Dubč near Prague, which is ceremonially put into operation today. At the same time, over the years, PENNY has regularly provided food assistance to food banks and is a traditional partner of the Food Collection. Since early 2018, aid to the needy through PENNY has exceeded 400 tonnes of food and drugstore goods. During the pandemic, supporting the Food Collection with extraordinary donations exceeding 10,000,000 crowns, which is more than 150 tons of food.