Food Security – Programme Review

Food banks around the world face a similar problematic, food insecurity. Interestingly they
approach this challenge differently.

After studying the cases of Canada, Australia, England, Japan, Argentina and the US, I can say
that there is major cooperation between these organizations but an astounding vacuum created
by Government's absence.

In addition none of the researched foodbanks operate a harvest food rescue programme. They
all focuss on ‘rescuing’ waste food from the system. This includes products that are:
close to ‘Best Before’ or ‘Use By’ date, excess stock, deleted lines, have incorrect
labels or damaged packaging.

FareShare – UK
Aproach:

Food Rescues - Provides quality food - surplus ‘fit for purpose’ product from the food and drink
industry - to organisations working with disadvantaged people in the community
Provides training and education around the essential life skills of safe food preparation and
nutrition, and warehouse employability training through FareShare’s Eat Well Live Well
programme

Methodology:

Community Members - The Community Food Network includes over 500 local charities and
organisations - our Community Members - which receive FareShare food and other support.

This food encourages disadvantaged people into an environment (such as hostels, day centers,
night shelters, breakfast clubs, women's refuges, after school clubs etc.) where they can
receive appropriate support. It also enable these organisations to reinvest funds into other
services such as housing advice, training and medical support, which in turn help people
rebuild their lives
Eat Well Live Well Programme

 The Employability Training programme offers recognised vocational qualifications to the

dedicated FareShare volunteers who commit their time to sorting, making up orders and
delivering food to charities

 Volunteers can gain qualifications in a FareShare depot, helping them to increase in

confidence, learn new skills and gain work experience in a supportive environment

 The programme of training modules (including fork lift truck training) form part of an
overall NVQ in Warehousing, Distribution, and Storage

 Since its launch, the programme has enabled 24 people to obtain a forklift truck
certificate and 86 people have achieved CIEH level 1 or 2 certificate in food safety in
catering.

 Both volunteers and clients are eligible to receive training.

 FareShare runs Eat Well Road Shows - one to two day training events around food
hygiene, diet and nutrition. The events provide direct training to vulnerable people
using the services of the FareShare Community Members, including basic food hygiene,
nutritional advice and practical cooking skills

 Part of the programme is aimed at the chefs, managers, project workers and catering
volunteers who work for our Community Members

 83% of attendees who have facilities to cook for themselves said that they felt able to
increase the nutritional benefit of the meals they cook at home having experienced an
Eat Well Road Show

Main partners:
 Second Harvest - Japan
Aproach:

Second Harvest Japan (2HJ) collects food that would otherwise go to waste from food
manufacturers, farmers, and individuals, and distributes them to people in need such as
children in orphanages, battered women and their children in shelters, and the homeless in
Japan.  2HJ is the nation’s first food bank.

Methodology:

Second Harvest Japan (2HJ) has four main activities.

Hot Meal Program and Harvest Pantry are activities that deliver food resources directly to
individuals in need.

Food Banking: 2HJ’s main activity. Food rescue.

Advocacy/Development: For the development of food banking in Japan, 2HJ engages in

different advocate activities and makes speech at different places. Also, in summers of 2008
and 2009, 2HJ held national caravans during which 2HJ held many information session about
food banking in different places in Japan.

FoodBank Australia:
Aproach

 The largest hunger relief organisation in Australia

 A national organisation, with distribution centres in six states and the NT
 Endorsed by the Australian Food and Grocery Council as the food industry's preferred
means of disposal of surplus product
 Relied upon as the pantry of the welfare sector

Methodology

Manufacturers and producers deliver their donations to Foodbank warehouses in New South
Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western
Australia.
Foodbank sorts, stores and distributes the food to accredited welfare agencies (non-
governmental) throughout Australia.
The food is used by welfare agencies (non-governmental) to prepare meals or provide food
parcels for those in need.

FoodBank Australia has developed a very interesting programme:

Collaborative Supply Programme

They partner with food industry to produce certain nutritious staple foods which are
in high demand but unfortunately are not always available from traditional sources.
How the program works is:

1.     Foodbank and the food manufacturer identify an appropriate, high priority
product from the manufacturer’s current range.
2.    The manufacturer agrees to produce the product subject to the donation of all
inputs with the manufacturer’s regular suppliers (e.g. ingredients and packaging).
3.    The manufacturer becomes the ‘Product Lead’ and assists Foodbank with input
supplier discussions.
4.    Input suppliers are approached and agreement is reached on the donation of their
respective product components. Donations need to be sustainable and not just a
very generous ‘one off’ as we need to repeat the program every year. Items that
cannot be donated are funded by Foodbank.
5.    The food manufacturer produces the agreed quantity of product under its own
brand name, according to its standard specifications, using donated components
and fitting around its own commercial production schedules (keeping it efficient -
no new packaging or recipes needed).
6.    The finished product is transported to Foodbank warehouses for distribution to
welfare agencies.
Corporate Partners:

Food Banks Canada:

The case of Canada is slightly different to the one that has been exemplified with the previous
cases. Canada has a system that could somehow relate to the one in Israel, where there is one
major organization that represents smaller food banks.

Food Banks Canada is the national organization that represents the food bank community across Canada.
The members and their respective agencies serve approximately 85% of people accessing emergency food
programs nation-wide. In an average month in 2010, close to 870,000 people access food banks.

Food Banks Canada:

 Represents the food bank community across Canada.

 Acts as an advocate for Canadians who are hungry.
 Conducts research on hunger, including HungerCount, the only annual national survey of food
bank use in Canada.
 Surveys Canadians' perceptions of the problem of hunger.
 Works with its Members, corporations and government to solve Canada's hunger problem.
 Distributes large food donations to affiliate member food banks through the National Food Sharing
System (NFSS) to relieve short term needs for food.
 Promotes the dignity of food bank clients.
 Promotes the ethical stewardship of donated food.

Food Banks Canada membership is made up of ten provincial associations and its 450 affiliate member food
banks. Food Banks Canada works with its Affiliate Members through its members (provincial associations)
to provide support, which includes food sharing and fundraising, program development and education and
advocacy initiatives
Poner diagram de la pagina de foodbanks, dde mnuestra la relacion con los members.

Partnerships:

Surprisingly not one of the reviewed organizations has developed official partnership with
governmental agencies. The closest we get is an example that was not reviewed. It is the case
of Spain – Federacion Espanola de Bancos de Alimentos. They receive a grant through the
"Fondo Espanol de Garantia Agraria", an independent organism of the Ministry of Agriculture,
Fishing and Food. This Ministry is in charge of managing, in Spain, of the "Help for the Needy
Plan", established by the EU. In the last years the money granted amounted to 50 million euros.

FareShare UK received recognition from the authorities (they encourage the channeling of
donations to FareShare).

FoodBank Australia received an official grant.

Unfortunately given these circumstances there is no place for learning about partnerships
between civil organizations and government welfare agencies.