How Maxi is driving healthy change to communities in Serbia

August 19, 2025 – Ahold Delhaize aims to inspire and enable customers to make healthier and more sustainable choices while also working toward a more sustainable food system. This is why we’re proud to highlight some recent achievements of our local Serbian brand, Maxi. 

Through initiatives like its educational Healthy Food Every Day school program, food donations, collaboration with local producers, and more, Maxi is doing its part to support positive and healthy change across its communities.
 

Inspiring healthy habits to thousands of pupils
Maxi is committed to offering healthier choices across its stores and actively promotes the importance of balanced nutrition for a healthier lifestyle. Understanding that healthy habits begin early, the brand launched its Healthy Food Every Day school program in partnership with the Ministry of Education to encourage healthy eating among children.

Since its launch in September 2023, the program has reached fourth-grade students across Serbia, educating them on proper nutrition, hydration, and physical activity. It has visited 235 primary schools across the country engaging over 23,000 pupils through interactive and educational lessons and is set to continue next year.

Children’s responses to the program have been consistently positive, particularly for its interactive lectures. A highlight was the use of handheld voting devices, which allowed children to respond to pre-set questions such as “do you play any sports?” and “how often do you eat fruit?” making the experience both fun and informative. The insights gathered from this activity provided valuable information on students’ eating habits, later showcased at a public exhibition of the Healthy Food Every Day program held at the Kalemegdan Fortress in Belgrade.
 

Daily food donations make a lasting impact
Maxi has also been working diligently in its food donation efforts. In 2024 alone, nearly 2,000 tons of food was delivered to people in need through its donation programs. The importance of daily direct food donations carried out through the Food for All program at 14 locations across Serbia have been critical in its success. Nebojša Milosavljević, representative of Food Bank Vojvodina, comments “It is important for such support to be continuous and organized, as regular deliveries make a real difference in the lives of those who need help the most.”

“I would like to thank all our partners who support us in the programs we carry out for our community”, said Gorica Jovović, Brand President of Delhaize Serbia. “Both educating pupils about healthy nutrition and donating food to citizens would not be possible without all the teachers, schools, food banks, and humanitarian organizations. Our strength lies in the trust and partnerships we build - and we are committed to upholding this in the years to come.”

Supporting local producers and pesticide-free produce
Thanks to the strategic cooperation with more than 200 local producers of fruits and vegetables, Maxi customers have enjoyed a wide selection of locally sourced products at Maxi farmers’ markets over the past year. In addition, the company’s partnership with the Faculty of Agriculture has led to a significant expansion in the range of fruits and vegetables without pesticide residues. Since the launch of the Zero Residue program in 2022 – with just one supplier and seven products – the initiative has grown to include five suppliers and 17 certified products by the end of 2024. During that same period, the volume of Zero Residue products increased by an impressive 195%, reflecting both the program’s success and rising consumer demand for healthier, residue-free options.

Learn more about Maxi’s ongoing efforts in their 2024 Sustainability Report, available in Serbian and English. For more information and examples of our local brands’ approaches to healthier and more sustainable choices, please visit this page.