(ANSA) - Rome, April 1 - Ferment to counter food waste has spawned a movement to spread use of the doggy bag in Italy. The practise of carrying out the remains of restaurant meals is not accepted or popular in Italy as it is abroad. Together with the UN World Food Program (WFP) and the Food Bank, the group Metro is promoting an Italian version of the doggy bag, or "cartaccio" in Rome, under the umbrella of the Schiscetta Reverse movement to coincide with the food-themed Milan Expo 2015, which runs May to October.

The Schiscetta Reverse is named after a Milanese term for metal containers traditionally used for transporting and reheating leftovers taken from home. The English word "reverse" has been tacked on to indicate the practice of taking leftovers home from somewhere else, like a restaurant. Celebrity chefs Claudio Sadler and Iginio Massari have been recruited to participate in the campaign to lend a virtuous patina to a practice often considered vulgar - if it is considered at all by Italian diners.

