In 2010 a total of 56 wholesalers from the Mercabarna Central Fruit and Vegetable Market donated 530,481 kg of produce to the Food Bank, the charity foundation that has a warehouse at the Market.

The figure is around the same as it was for 2009, a fact the Bank considers positive, given that “the crisis intensified in 2010 and donations received a good boost in 2009 with the awareness campaign run for Market businesses,” said Gala Montseny, head of the Food Bank Provisioning Area. However, the Bank is calling on firms to continue to collaborate because “demand is still growing” and the charities the Bank provides the food to need “20 to 30% more fruit and vegetable produce,” Ms Montseny added.

One highlight of 2010 was that the decision to open the Bank’s warehouse in Mercabarna in August was a success, with some 27,000 kg of produce being donated during the month.

With regard to fish, the economic slump led to lower sales in the Central Fish Market in 2010, which also translated into a drop in contributions to the Food Bank. A total of 12,326 kg of fishery produce was donated over the year.

Clothes for Charity

Another charitable association with infrastructure onsite at Mercabarna is the NGO Humana, which has containers to collect clothing in the Market’s commercial area.

In 2010, Mercabarna users donated 2,640 kg of clothing, slightly down on the 2009 figure.

A spokesperson from Humana said this was due to the fact that one of the containers had been withdrawn from the Market and because people were updating their wardrobes less frequently as a result of the financial crisis.