Restaurants against hunger, eating for pleasure and solidarity

(ANSA) - ROME, OCTOBER 19 - Now and until December 31 there is one more reason to go to a restaurant: solidarity.

For malnourished children in the world, for a category of entrepreneurs suffering from the health emergency.

Action Against Hunger, a humanitarian organization in the fight against malnutrition, has kicked off, on World Food Day, the sixth edition of the initiative "Restaurant against Hunger", which involves and unites restaurants, chefs and food lovers.

Booking in one of the participating establishments means making a contribution to the fight against hunger: part of the restaurant's earnings will be donated to the "Restaurant against Hunger" project.

A small contribution to ideally add a seat at the table to one of the many children who live in the poorest countries in the world.

The great challenge, launched by the NGO, is to reduce the mortality rate of children under five years of age by 20% in the countries where the most worrying data of malnutrition emerge.

In six years, the initiative has found hospitality in over 700 Italian restaurant businesses.

It also reached over 500,000 people and, above all, raised 350,000 euros: a figure that corresponds exactly to the value of life-saving treatments with therapeutic food used to meet the needs of 16,000 children suffering from malnutrition.

With this initiative, said Simone Garroni, general manager of Action Against Hunger, "we wish to communicate to Italians one more reason to have lunch or dinner in a restaurant or pizzeria: solidarity. Going to one of our 'Restaurants against Hunger' becomes more than just a "opportunity to give food and therapeutic foods to malnourished children in the world but also a way to contribute to the birth of one of the crucial sectors of our country".

In Versilia, the Lorenzo restaurant in Forte dei Marmi joins the solidarity initiative, with the renowned fish cuisine of the Viani family and the menu of chef Gioacchino Pontrelli, takes part in the project for the third consecutive year.

There are numerous professionals in the haute cuisine who have already accepted, as chef ambassadors, the challenge promoted by Action Against Hunger, becoming the spokesperson for awareness-raising activities on the theme of hunger and malnutrition.

Sitratta by Tommaso Arrigoni and Eros Picco (Innocenti evasioni, Milan), Enrico Crippa (Piazza Duomo, Alba), Carolina Bonini and Giada Matese (Let's cook), Francesco Menozzi (Bottega 39, ReggioEmilia), Elio Sironi (Ceresio 7, Milan), Simone Padoan (ITigli, Verona), Cesare Battisti (Ratanà, Milan), Stefano Cerveni (Osteria con Vista, Terrazza Triennale, Milan), Mario Dalena (Il Credenziere, Venice), Giacomo Coppin and Andrei Cobuz (L'OvMilano), Lucio Mele (Pescaria, Milan).

With them also the "Professional Association of Italian Chefs", "Ambasciatoridel Gusto", "Le Soste", "CHIC-Charming Italian Chef".

Customers will be able to donate two euros for a "solidarity dish", 50 cents for a "solidarity pizza" and the same amount for a bottle of water.

(HANDLE).