It would never have occurred to you that it could be a good deed to buy a chocolate bar from the vending machine company Selecta whose best-before date is three months ago.

And that for one euro too, which is not particularly cheap.

But well, times are changing, and so it should be noted: Deutsche Bahn proudly reports that in Frankfurt Central Station, well placed on the cross platform opposite tracks 3 and 4, there is now a "Rettomat", a machine in which "Rescued food" is sold: "From now on, travelers and visitors can buy healthy food from the vending machine and give food a second chance."

Manfred Koehler

Deputy head of the regional section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and editor in charge of the business magazine Metropol.

  • Follow I follow

The products are "in excess or are just before or after the best-before date, but are still edible".

With the new service, the state-owned company wants to "make the train station even more attractive and protect resources as an environmentally friendly company".

Big words fade away at the sight of the offer

Big words that then fade away a little when you look at the offer; “Mars”, “Snickers” and “Milky Way” bars obviously do not need to be saved, instead a kind of chocolate can be brewed for one euro, vegan, soy-free and with oats from Katjes, which was previously more common Licorice had connected, saving the bar, whose best before date ended in June, costs one euro. A “Coco & Rice” bar from the Fairtrade brand Gepa, which should have been consumed by April, can be saved for the same amount. The range also includes cashew nuts, functional dextrose drops with a pomegranate flavor and organic kettle chips with a chili flavor.

The "Rettomat" is so innovative that three companies are cooperating for it, in addition to Deutsche Bahn and the vending machine operator Selecta, the Berlin start-up Sirplus, which is dedicated to the sale of surplus groceries; this company also checks whether the products are really still edible. These goods can also be ordered online on their homepage. Incidentally, the Fairtrade chocolate still tastes flawless.