18th August 2020: Brewer AB InBev has given 90,000 surgical face masks from its own production in Belgium to support relief efforts in Beirut, Lebanon, following the devastating port explosion last Tuesday.
The brewer will make the donation to the French Embassy in Lebanon, who are working with local aid groups on the ground in Beirut, such as the Lebanese Red Cross, in distributing materials like essential food and hygiene kits; treating injured individuals and providing emergency shelter, as well as distributing blood units to hospitals.
AB InBev announced last month that it had partnered with Belgian mattress manufacturer, Somnis Bedding, to buy and operate a bespoke machine to produce surgical one-way face masks for its employees, customers and wider communities throughout Europe as the effects of COVID-19 continue to be felt.
Now 90,000 of these medical-grade masks will be delivered from Lokeren, Belgium to Marseille, France where shipping company, The CMA CGM Group, will then transport them to Beirut to support the vital emergency work ongoing in the city.
Fabio Sala, President of AB InBev BENEFRALUX Unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the people of Beirut, many of whom have lost loved ones, suffered injuries and had their lives and homes upended by this latest tragedy, in a country that is already suffering from the impact of COVID-19. We thank the French Embassy in Lebanon and other teams on the ground for their relentless and critical efforts, as well as our partners Somnis and CMA CGM for helping us to get our face masks to where they are most needed.”
AB InBev has been supporting communities around Europe since the onset of COVID-19. In addition to producing face masks, the brewer of global brands Stella Artois, Budweiser and Corona, has converted alcohol from its 0% beers to shore up much-needed supplies of disinfectant. To date 120,000 litres of ready-to-use alcohol disinfectant and hand sanitizers have been produced and donated by AB InBev to hospitals, police and fire services, care homes, pharmacies and crisis centres around Europe.
The brewer has also created voucher platforms to support closed pubs and bars, distributed alcohol-free beers to frontline staff, donated its billboard space to public health campaigns and used kegs of its Leffe beer to make bread for Belgian supermarkets and food banks.
ENDS
For more information please contact:
Louise Fernley, Communications Director for Europe, AB InBev
Louise.fernley@ab-inbev.com / +44(0)7961406684
About AB InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world’s leading brewer and is a publicly traded company based in Leuven, Belgium. Our Dream is to bring people together for a better world. We are committed to brewing the best beers using the finest natural ingredients and to be enjoyed in a responsible manner. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium, we are now a geographically diversified brewery with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of approximately 175,000 employees, including 12,000 in Europe. We have offices and breweries in 18 EU Member States and our Global Innovation Centre is also based in Leuven, Belgium. Follow us on Twitter at @ABInBev_EU
For more information about Anheuser-Busch InBev, please visit www.ab-inbev.com
