To deal with the health and economic crisis linked to Covid-19, Lesaffre is stepping up its commitment to solidarity actions

In order to better respond to the needs of the moment, Lesaffre has sent a strong signal to its subsidiaries around the world to intensify their local solidarity actions: ECHO, its charity program launched at the beginning of 2019, will see its budget quadruple in 2020. In addition, the group has decided to make numerous donations of sanitary equipment and to provide significant financial support to Emmaüs Défi and the French federation of Food Banks. Thus, over the course of this year, Lesaffre will be providing global support in France and around the world to the tune of over 2 million euros.

 In the face of the pandemic, the need for increased local mobilization

The context of Covid-19 and the urgency of needs prompted Lesaffre to give new impetus to its “ECHO” charity program. The company has decided to quadruple the amount of the matching fund, which supports and reinforces the local actions decided upon by its subsidiaries in more than 50 countries.

Lesaffre has always maintained a close relationship with its immediate environment. Solidarity has been a matter of course for every employee from the very beginning of the pandemic within the group.

For example, in France, in the Hauts de France region, the historic birthplace of the group, Lesaffre has donated health protection equipment to hospitals in the region as well as to small local structures – often overlooked by mass donations – such as retirement homes, fire brigades, home help staff, IMEs (Medical-Educational Institutes) and private nurses.
In total, more than 30,000 FFP2 masks, 70,000 pieces of protective equipment (gloves, hats, overshoes, surgical gowns and masks) and 250 liters of hydroalcoholic gel were distributed.

To support the local agri-food sector, and more specifically small businesses, Lesaffre has delivered more than 150,000 surgical masks to the Lille ARIA (Regional Association of Food Industries). Included in Lesaffre’s order of masks, the company has thus spared the ARIA from complex customs procedures and has enabled the association to benefit from an appreciable cost price. A second order should follow.

In addition, Lesaffre decided to make a significant financial donation to Emmaus as part of Emmaus Défi (a specific program for the professional integration of people in extreme poverty) and to the French federation of Food Banks (which manages the logistics of the food aid offered by 5,400 charities in France).

Lesaffre also offers its support to mutual aid organizations in all the countries where the company is established. The consequences of the pandemic will be visible for a long time to come and these actions will continue over the medium term.

ECHO, Lesaffre Charity program

At the beginning of 2019, Lesaffre launched its ECHO charity program. This program is a system of matching contributions through which the group provides additional financial support for the actions of its subsidiaries around the world, to encourage them to become more involved in the economic and social life of communities.

“This program has taken over from an internal challenge that we have been organizing regularly since 2014 around Social and Environmental Responsibility actions. This awareness-raising event highlighted the multiplicity of our actions around the world and gave us the desire to go further … much further.
Our decentralized structure gives us strong local roots, wherever we are. This proximity gives us the opportunity to contribute to development, support or mutual aid actions set up by associations and NGOs.
“says Antoine Baule, Lesaffre’s CEO.

The entire Lesaffre group, present in more than 50 countries, is mobilizing in the face of the health crisis. A few examples of the actions:

In Europe:

Italy: Manufacture of hydroalcoholic gel for the medical profession (5000 liters)
Spain: Financial donation to the Food Bank
Ukraine: Donation of health safety equipment to the community hospital
Poland: Donation for diversified aid for care workersSlovenia: Donation of masks for local institutions and old people’s homes
Serbia: Donation of baker’s yeast to feed elderly people
Hungary: Donation of yeast to hospital staff and firemen
Czech Republic: Support for an association that manages family conflicts during periods of confinement and donation of baker’s yeast

France: Donation of health protection equipment for large hospitals and small structures, logistical support to the ARIA for orders of masks for small food companies, 700 tablets given to children from underprivileged families with the Fondation du Nord, donation to EMMAUS DEFI and the French Federation of Food Banks.

In America:
United States: over €90,000 in support for food banks and bakeries, but also numerous donations of masks, protection glasses and gloves.

In Asia:
China: more than €30,000 worth of breads for food kits for the elderly, carers and the homeless.

In Africa/Middle East :
Egypt: Elaboration of didactic colouring kits on barrier gestures for orphans
Turkey: Preparation by employees of food parcels for the elderly; financial donation for the purchase of health protection equipment
Tunisia: Participation in food kits, financial donation to the Regional Union of Workers to support unemployed people and provision of 200 food baskets for needy families
Morocco: Employee profit-sharing for a Covid-19 Support Fund for the victims of the pandemic.

About Lesaffre

As a global key player in yeasts and fermentation, Lesaffre designs, manufactures and markets innovative solutions for Baking, Food taste & pleasure, Health care and Biotechnology. Family group born in northern France in 1853, now a multilocal and a multicultural company, Lesaffre is committed to working with confidence to better nourish and protect the planet.

In close collaboration with its clients and partners, Lesaffre employs 10,700 people in 80 subsidiaries based in more than 50 countries. Lesaffre achieves a turnover of 2.2 billion euros.

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