Description
Les Frigos Solidaires is a French association that sets up self-service fridges outside shops, associations, universities, schools and companies, where anyone can leave food or take some, free and without proof of need. It is an alternative to throwing away food that is still good, and a form of food aid that asks no questions.
Dounia and Malika Mebtoul opened the first fridge in Paris in 2017, in front of their restaurant, La Cantine du 18. The association, based in Malakoff, helps residents, town halls, shops and associations start their own: they fill in a form and the association contacts them, but the site does not publish the terms or the cost of hosting a fridge. It is funded by donations through HelloAsso and by partners such as the Fondation de France, the Fondation Monoprix and the mutual insurer Identités Mutuelle.
On 4 November 2026 the site counted more than 149 fridges, and its map listed 92 towns. The association says the fridges save more than 700 kilos of food and help more than 3,000 people a day; there is no independent count. Shops, associations and residents fill them with fruit, vegetables, dairy products and dry goods; home-cooked dishes, opened products and alcohol are not allowed. The host keeps the fridge clean, and the map gives each fridge’s address and opening hours.
Strengths
- No registration, no proof of income and no one to ask: anyone can open the door and take what they need.
- Clear rules exclude home-cooked dishes, opened products and alcohol, which limits the health risks of sharing food.
- A map lists every fridge with its address and opening hours, so donors and users can check before they go.
Weaknesses
- What a fridge holds depends on the day’s donations, and it can be empty when someone arrives.
- Most fridges follow their host’s opening hours, and many are closed on Sundays.
- With about 150 fridges in 92 towns, most of France has none within walking distance.
Who it is for
Residents of a town with a fridge who want to top up their shopping or give away food they won’t eat in time, and shops or town halls that want to pass on unsold food locally.
Sources
- Les Frigos Solidaires: home page and figures, map by town, legal notice, checked November 2026
- L’info durable: les frigos solidaires gagnent du terrain
- L’info durable: où trouver des frigos solidaires près de chez soi