What Banco Alimentare does

Banco Alimentare is an Italian non-profit food bank network founded in 1989 and headquartered in Milan (Via Legnone, 4). The organization coordinates the daily recovery of surplus food from the agri-food supply chain — spanning agricultural producers, food manufacturers, large-scale retail (GDO), and organized catering — and redistributes it free of charge through 21 regional food bank organizations (Organizzazioni Banco Alimentare, OBA) to a network of 7,593 territorial partner organizations that serve people in need. In 2025 the network recovered 120,114 tonnes of food and helped 1,719,843 people across Italy, operating 51-100 paid employees supplemented by 2,071 stable volunteers and seasonal surges during campaigns.

The organization runs without a commercial pricing model. Its funding mix combines donated surplus food from the agri-food chain, European FEAD and FSE+ food aid programs administered through the Agea agency, the Italian 5xmille tax designation (fiscal code 97075370151), and corporate and individual donations from partners including Eni, UnipolSai Assicurazioni, Coca-Cola, PwC, Intesa Sanpaolo, Amazon, and Poste Italiane. Core technology consists of a logistics and food recovery management platform that coordinates national donations and distributes them across the regional bank network, alongside a dedicated Colletta Registration Platform for the annual November collection event. Physical infrastructure includes a 5,000-square-meter logistics hub at the Parma interport in Fontevivo for storage and transport coordination, plus regional warehouses and headquarters across all 21 regional entities.

The flagship initiative is the Colletta Alimentare, a one-day national food collection held each November across more than 11,000 supermarkets with 150,000+ volunteers, yielding 8,300 tonnes of food in 2025 and benefiting from the Alto Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic. Other key programs include Siticibo for organized catering and large-scale retail surplus recovery, the long-running Nespresso 'Da Chicco a Chicco' capsule-to-rice recycling partnership (active since 2011), the 'Spesa per tutti' project with Regione Toscana and Caritas Toscana, and the research-oriented DisPARI initiative on youth food poverty conducted with the University of Milan and ActionAid Italia. The organization is led by President Giovanni Bruno and Secretary General Marco Lucchini.

Name

Banco Alimentare

Legal name

Fondazione Banco Alimentare ETS

Website

https://bancoalimentare.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Banco Alimentare is an Italian non-profit food bank network founded in 1989, coordinating surplus food recovery from the agri-food chain across 21 regional organizations and redistributing it to 7,593 partner charities serving approximately 1.7 million people in need annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Bank and Food Recovery Services

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Food recovery services
• Food bank network
• Surplus food redistribution
• Charity food collection
• Food waste reduction

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Food Donations from Agri-Food Chain: Recovery of food surplus from agricultural production, industry, large-scale retail (GDO), and organized catering. Food is donated and redistributed free of charge to partner organizations.
2. Public Funding - European Aid Programs: Funding from European FEAD (Fondo di aiuti Europei agli indigenti) and FSE+ programs administered through Agea agency, providing food aid to people in extreme poverty with social inclusion objectives.
3. 5xmille Tax Designation: Italian taxpayers can designate 5 per thousand of their income tax to Banco Alimentare using fiscal code 97075370151.
4. Corporate and Individual Donations: Corporate partnerships, charity events, and individual donations support operational activities. Major partners include Eni, UnipolSai, Coca-Cola, PwC, and various retail chains.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Banco Alimentare (Fondazione Banco Alimentare ETS) is a non-profit food bank network that recovers surplus food daily from the agri-food supply chain — including agricultural production, food industry, large-scale retail (GDO), and organized catering — and redistributes it free of charge to 7,593 territorial partner organizations serving people in need across Italy. Its flagship initiative is the annual Colletta Alimentare (National Food Collection Day), held each November in 11,000+ supermarkets, supported by 150,000+ volunteers.

Product overview

Banco Alimentare is a charitable food bank network operating since 1989, not a technology company. Its offering consists of food recovery and redistribution services rather than technology products. The core activity is the daily recovery of surplus food from the agri-food supply chain (agricultural production, industry, large-scale retail, and organized catering), which is redistributed through a network of 7,593 territorial partner organizations to approximately 1.8 million people in need. Key programs include the annual Colletta Alimentare (National Food Collection Day), FSE+/FEAD government food aid programs, and corporate partnership initiatives. The organization also operates a 5,000 sqm logistics platform in Parma and conducts youth food poverty research through the DisPARI project. No AI/ML-powered technology products are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 120,114 tonnes of food recovered and redistributed in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, core, main sponsor, institutional partner and logistics partner.

• Università di FoggiasupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Academic partnership with Banco Alimentare della Daunia: staff and students volunteer for 'Aggiungi un posto a tavola' meal service program.
• Politecnico di Milano - Food Sustainability LabsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2024Research partnership studying food surplus and waste patterns in agri-food chain; presented study on agricultural surplus recovery potential.
• Mercati Agro Alimentari Sicilia (MAAS)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2024Working with Banco Alimentare to develop surplus fruit and vegetable transformation into preserves and sauces for extended use.
• Federazione Nazionale Italiana Società di San Vincenzo De Paoli ODVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2024Partner for Colletta Alimentare 2024, providing volunteers and support for food collection and distribution activities nationwide.
• Associazione Nazionale AlpinicoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2024Contributes volunteers for Colletta Alimentare campaign, providing support across supermarket collection points.
• Esercito Italiano (Italian Army)supportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2024Military support for Colletta Alimentare logistics and volunteer coordination activities.
• Lions Club InternationalsupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2024Service organization supporting Colletta Alimentare through volunteer mobilization and community outreach.
• UnipolSai Assicurazionimain sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2024Main sponsor for Colletta Alimentare 2024, providing financial and organizational support.
• Enimain sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2024Main sponsor supporting Colletta Alimentare annual campaign.
• Coca-Colamain sponsorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2024Main sponsor for Colletta Alimentare 2024.
• Intesa Sanpaoloinstitutional partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 November 2024Institutional partner for Colletta Alimentare 2024, supporting campaign activities.
• Amazonlogistics partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 16 November 2024Logistics partner for Colletta Alimentare 2024, supporting transportation and distribution of collected food.
• Poste Italianelogistics partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 16 November 2024Logistics partner for Colletta Alimentare 2024, supporting food distribution network.
• Conad AdriaticocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2024Six-year partnership with 'Aggiungi 10 posti a tavola' campaign (add 1 euro at checkout) supporting Banco Alimentare Abruzzo Molise.
• Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Social responsibility partnership since 2021: employees volunteer at Banco Alimentare della Daunia, organize meals for those in need, and support charitable initiatives.
• Regione ToscanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016'Spesa per tutti' project (2016-2027): Region provides 545,000 EUR funding, Caritas purchases food, Banco Alimentare Toscana handles logistics and storage.
• Caritas ToscanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Co-implementer of 'Spesa per tutti' project, purchasing food from large retailers and distributing to families in difficulty (20,000 food parcels annually).
• NespressocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011'Da Chicco a Chicco' program since 2011: recycling coffee capsules to grow rice for donation. In 2023, donated 900 quintals of rice equaling 1 million plates to 2,500 charitable structures supporting 500,000+ people.
• Fondazione CariplosupportingOthersMajor supporter of Fondazione Banco Alimentare ETS activities, providing funding and resources for food recovery operations.
• CdO Opere SocialicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partner supporting Banco Alimentare's mission and collaborating on charitable initiatives and food drives.
• Agea (Agenzia per le erogazioni in agricoltura)coreOthersIntermediate organism managing European food aid programs (FEAD, FSE+) since 1987 accreditation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest US hunger-relief organization operating 200+ food banks. Directly comparable operating model — surplus food recovery, redistribution to partner agencies, volunteer-driven logistics — though operating at much greater scale and within a different funding environment.
• Caritas Italiana: Italian Catholic charitable organization that is both a downstream recipient of Banco Alimentare's food and a co-implementer (e.g., Spesa per tutti with Regione Toscana). Comparable in mission of poverty alleviation and direct food assistance across Italy.
• Croce Rossa Italiana (Italian Red Cross): Major Italian humanitarian organization delivering food and social assistance to vulnerable populations, often via territorial partnerships overlapping with Banco Alimentare's network. Comparable scale, volunteer base, and donor/corporate partnership structure.
• Federazione Europea dei Banchi Alimentari (FEBA): European umbrella federation of food banks of which Banco Alimentare is a member. Directly comparable as the coordinating body for 21+ country food bank networks across the EU, sharing operating model, EU funding access, and food recovery practices.

Emerging players

• Too Good To Go: App-based marketplace for selling surplus food from retailers and restaurants at discount. Operates in Italy alongside Banco Alimentare, addressing the same food waste problem but via a commercial consumer-facing model rather than donation-based redistribution.
• Last Minute Market (Camst Group): Italian social enterprise focused on recovering and redistributing food surplesses from agri-food and catering sectors. Direct overlap in upstream food recovery model and Italian geography, though more commercial/consulting-oriented than a pure donation-based food bank.

Direct peers

• Federación Española de Bancos de Alimentos (FESBAL): Spanish national food bank federation — the model originally replicated by Banco Alimentare's founders. Operates an identical structure of regional banks, charitable redistribution, and supermarket collection campaigns, making it the closest geographic and structural peer.
• The Trussell Trust: UK national food bank network supporting 1,300+ food bank centers. Comparable in mission (fighting food poverty), operating structure (network of regional partners), and reliance on supermarket collection campaigns and corporate donors.
• FFBA - Fédération Française des Banques Alimentaires: French national food bank network operating 79 regional food banks. Closely comparable operating model — surplus food recovery from agri-food industry, redistribution to charitable partners, EU program funding — and similar scale across a single national footprint.
• Tafel Deutschland e.V. Germany's largest food bank network with ~960 local branches. Direct peer sharing the food surplus recovery model, volunteer-dependent operations, and redistribution to charitable/social organizations, though at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bancoalimentare
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/bancoalimentare
• Facebookfacebook.com/bancoalimentare
• Instagraminstagram.com/bancoalimentare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/banco-alimentare

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Banco Alimentare