Ahead of the D&C Awards 2023 which will be held in the National Museum of Serbia on April 3, we spoke with our previous winners. Nestle Adriatic was last year’s recipient of the best socially responsible campaign for their “Save Food, Save Humanity” campaign. Check out what Milica Milanović, Corporate Affairs Manager of Nestlé Adriatic had to say about their experience and their new plans.
How much did the award you received mean to you?
Acknowledgments from reputable organizations and media not only confirm your efforts and achieved results, but are also a kind of motivation for even more intensive efforts in projects to improve the local community. Also, the visibility that socially responsible initiatives gain in this way – also creates a healthy “competition” because they motivate other companies to get involved. That way together we can influence even more and stand in solidarity in the fight for a better and healthier tomorrow.
What has your company been doing in that field since then?
I can proudly say that in the meantime, in 2022, we donated Nestlé products worth about 45 million dinars to vulnerable groups throughout Serbia. We carry out donations in cooperation with food banks in Belgrade, Niš, and Vojvodina, as well as the Federation of Food Banks of Serbia, and precisely through this network and good logistics, Nestlé soups, mayonnaise, spices, coffee, sweets, and other products reach all parts of our country. In addition to the desire to help fight poverty, our team also manages food surpluses, which is an important part of our comprehensive circular and sustainable way of doing business.
What are your plans for the future?
As the world’s largest food company, we see helping the community in which we operate not only as our commitment but also as a responsibility. Last year, we doubled the amount donated from 2021, and knowing that almost half a million of our citizens live on the edge of poverty, our goal is to increase the amount donated and expand the network of partner organizations every year.