Food Bank: A tool for addressing food insecurity and food waste in Greece

Transcription

1 ΙΔΡΥΜΑ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΩΝ & ΒΙΟΜΗΧΑΝΙΚΩΝ ΕΡΕΥΝΩΝ FOUNDATION FOR ECONOMIC & INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH Τ. Καρατάσου 11, Αθήνα, Tηλ.: , Fax: , 11 T. Karatassou Str., Athens, Greece, Tel.: (+30) , Fax: (+30) Food Bank: A tool for addressing food insecurity and food waste in Greece Athens, October 2017

2 Study scope and contents Contents 1. Introduction 2. Food insecurity in Greece 3. Food waste 4. Resources to tackle food insecurity 5. The Food Bank institution 6. Conclusions Scope 1. Highlight the role of the food banks as a tried method of fighting food insecurity and waste of resources 2. Examine ways to strengthen further this role in Greece. 2

3 2. Food insecurity in Greece 3

4 Food insecurity is a significant social problem Gradations of the food deprivation problem Possible effects of food insecurity Food insecurity Malnutrition Mental and physical development problems Reduced performance of children in school Hunger Famine Excessive consumption of high-calorie foods (obesity) A person is in a state of food insecurity when there is a lack of secure access to adequate amounts of nutritious food for normal development and for an active and healthy life. 4

5 About 1.4 million people were experiencing food insecurity in 2015 in Greece (12.9% of the population) % of the population 16 Food insecurity Greece Euro area Source: Eurostat Lower rates in the EU-28 (8.5%, or 43 million people) and the Euro area (7.3% or 25 million people). 5

6 In particularly vulnerable groups of the population, the food insecurity is accompanied by hunger Percentage of households with children with food insecurity and hunger Employment status of the father Child's country of birth Homemaker Retired Unemployed 43.6 Self-employed 14.5 Employed part-time 29.9 Employed full-time 17.9 Greece Other 73.1 Education level of the mother 45.7 Number of children in the household Less than primary Primary Lower secondary Upper secondary Tertiary Source: Petralias, A., Papadimitriou, E., Riza, E., Karagas, M. R., Zagouras, A. B. A., Linos, A., & DIATROFI Program Research Team, (2016). The impact of a school food aid program on household food insecurity. European Journal of Public Health, 26(2),

7 Food insecurity in Greece is not caused by a lack of food supply Austria Belgium Ireland Italy Luxembourg Germany France Portugal Poland UK Lithuania EU28 Greece Malta Finland Denmark Romania Czech Republic Estonia Netherlands Sweden Spain Latvia Slovenia Croatia Hungary Slovakia Bulgaria Cyprus Source: FAO Stat Total food supply thousand kcal/person/day According to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Greece is ranked 23rd among 206 countries based on the overall food supply per person 7

8 3. Food waste 8

9 In the developed economies, the largest percentage of food waste comes from the households Causes of food waste in the food value chain Agriculture Manufacturing Trade Food services Households Crops that are not harvested Inappropriate for human consumption harvest Products that do not comply with specifications Disposal of animal byproducts Contamination of animal products Disposal of catches Use of food to produce energy Losses in transportation and storage Unsold produce Disposal of animal and vegetable by-products Disposal of processed products Unsold produce Products that do not comply with specifications Unsold produce Products that do not comply with specifications Unintentional waste in developing countries mainly due to structural problems (such as weak transportation system and lack of proper processing and storage equipment) Disposal of stored food (out-of-date products) Disposal of non-edible food parts when preparing meals Meals that are not consumed Disposal of stored food (out-of-date products) Disposal of non-edible food parts when preparing meals Meals that are not consumed Voluntary waste in developed economies mainly due to excess consumer purchases 9

10 In the EU, 53% of the waste comes from the households (46.5 million tonnes, 92 kg per person) The amount of food thrown away annually in the EU (88 million tonnes) corresponds to: 173 kg per person 20% of the produced food 8% of global emissions 143 billion cost The stage of food processing with 19% (16.9 million tonnes, 33 kg per person) comes second Source: FUSIONS EU (2014), Estimates of European food waste levels 10

11 Persistently higher food waste rate in Greece compared to the EU average (5.1% against 2.3%) 7% Waste (% of total production) 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% Greece Europe World Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 11

12 Greece has the 5 th worst position in the EU based on food waste as a percentage of food production SI MT BG CY GR PT PL ES AU DK DE BE IT SE SK IR LU FR UK RO HU LT NL CZ LV EE FI kg BG DK SI GR PL CY ES AU LT IR BE PT FR DE HU MT RO NL IT SE SK LV CZ LU UK EE FI Food waste as % of food production Food waste per capita 12% % 300 8% % 150 4% 100 2% 50 0% 0 Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations At the 4 th worst position based on food waste per capita 12

13 Greece occupies the 3 rd highest ranking in terms of landfill disposal of mixed ordinary wastes Mixed ordinary wastes, land deposit, kg per capita, 2014 Hierarchy of food surplus treatment methods Malta Montenegro Greece Spain Croatia Bulgaria Albania United Kingdom Latvia France Lithuania Cyprus Poland Hungary Portugal Czech Republic Serbia Slovakia Romania European Union (28 countries) Italy Former Yugoslav Republic of Finland Ireland Slovenia Luxembourg Belgium Norway Sweden Estonia Austria Netherlands Denmark Source: Eurostat. Data processing: ΙΟΒΕ Prevention Free redistribution Use as animal feed Recycling Other recovery Disposal Source: European Court of Auditors (2016) 13

14 Food waste a priority area in the national strategic plan for waste prevention Measures to reduce the production of food waste in NSPWP Organise campaigns Use of voluntary agreements, consumer-producer committees and sectoral negotiations Provide support to businesses with financial, advisory or other means Promotion of food donations at local level Source: National Strategic Plan for Waste Prevention Exemption from VAT for food donations: Main incentive to food manufacturing and trade companies for food waste reduction Legislated with Law 4238/2014 Products: food, medicines, clothing and other goods, except those subject to excise duty Purpose: solely for the relief of vulnerable social groups Prerequisite: made available free of charge to public sector or nonprofit organisations, established in Greece, with proven humanitarian or charitable function The VAT exemption is the main incentive for restricting food waste in Greece 14

15 4. Resources for addressing food insecurity 15

16 Fund for European Αid to the Most Deprived: an essential tool for fighting food poverty Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, FEAD Introduced in place of the Food Distribution Programme for the Most Deprived Persons Relates to the programme period Over 3.8 billion (in real prices) are made available from the EU community budget Supports food and material assistance and social inclusion actions Purpose of the programme: contribution to meeting the target of the strategy Europe 2020 for the reduction of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion in the EU by at least 20 million until

17 Greece is envisaged to receive 281 million from FEAD between 2014 and 2020 National OP budgets Per capita FEBA resources Italy Spain France Poland Romania Greece Portugal Bulgaria Hungary Germany Lithuania Belgium Slovakia Latvia Croatia Czech Republic Ireland Finland Slovenia Austria Estonia Sweden United Kingdom Netherlands Malta Luxembourg Denmark Cyprus From FEAD National participation Lithuania Greece Romania Latvia Portugal Bulgaria Poland Spain Italy Slovakia Slovenia Hungary Malta Croatia France EU Luxembourg Belgium Estonia Ireland Cyprus Finland Czech Republic Austria Germany Sweden Denmark Netherlands United Kingdom euro per capita (total population) Source: European Commission (2015), The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD): Breaking the vicious circle of poverty and deprivation. Together with the national co-financing, the total budget of the operational programme of Greece amounts to 331 million. 17

18 There is a significant delay in the utilisation of the FEAD resources in Greece Expenditure on operational programmes of food assistance in the EU, Approved expenditure ( million) Approved expenditure over total budget (%) FR ES RO IT PL LT BE PT BG LV SI FI SE NL AU GR CZ EE LU SK NL SE LT BE LV SI FR FI RO LU ES BG PL EE IT AU PT CZ GR SK CY 30.9% 29.5% 27.2% 27.0% 26.7% 24.2% 23.7% 22.9% 19.2% 18.0% 16.0% 14.5% 14.1% 13.7% 10.7% 9.3% 0.8% 0.4% 0.2% 57.4% 98.1% Source: European Commission (2017) In terms of FEAD utilisation, Greece is ranked 19th among 21 countries with approved expenditures 18

19 Implementation case studies Greece and France At central level by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs At local level by the social partnerships Food distribution Through social partnerships GreeceFood supply headed by municipalities or public entities Identification of needs By the social partnerships Selection of final beneficiaries Upon registration to the electronic platform of the Social Solidarity Income programme At the national level by an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture (FranceAgriMer) Food distribution Through civil society organisations with national or FranceFood supply local scope Identification of needs By the partners of the programme Selection of final beneficiaries By the partners of the programme 19

20 How to overcome the paradox of having both high food surplus and food insecurity? The utilisation of the food surplus requires expertise, organisation and infrastructure Behaviour Incentives Expertise Local knowledge Organisation Agreements with suppliers Food collection and management Network of beneficiaries/institutions Infrastructure Food transportation Food storage 20

21 4. The Food Bank as an institution 21

22 The Food Bank institution has a long history 1967: Establishment of the first food bank in Phoenix (USA) 1995: Establishment of Food Bank in Athens 2015: Food Bank Thessaloniki becomes an independent institution 1986: Formation of the European Federation of Food Banks FEBA 1998: Establishment of a branch in Thessaloniki 2017: Foundation of the Hellenic Association of Food Banks Businesses, institutions, individuals to the food banks to soup kitchens and other charities offer food donations... for their effective management, storage and distribution 22

23 The food banks in Europe coordinate their operation through the European Federation FEBA Representation in the FEBA per country Legend Project Partnership FEBA members 326 food banks and local branches from 23 countries participate in FEBA It collaborates with the corresponding federation in Germany (Die Taffeln) Projects in 4 more European countries Albania, FYROM, Malta and Slovenia In 2016 the FEBA members: Offered 2.9 million meals daily To 6.1 million people Collaborated with 37,200 charities Supported by the participation of 16,400 volunteers Source: FEBA 23

24 In several European countries, there is an extensive network with local food banks or local branches of food banks Number of local food banks and branches per country 167 The pervasive economic crisis in Greece would justify the increased presence of food banks in the country NL FR ES PL IT PT UK CZ EE BE LT AL GR AU BG DK HU IΕ LU NO RS SK CH UA MK MT SI Source: ΙΟΒΕ 24

25 Notable presence in Attica and Thessaloniki Key figures in Attica Warehouses in privately owned space 1,550 m2 Benefits of developing a union of food banks covering all Greece Supports 144 charities Distribution of 1024 tonnes of food Over 33,000 recipients of assistance Corporate social responsibility actions in the field of food support with nationwide coverage In a better position to take on the role of national social partners in EU programmes More effective awareness campaigns on food deprivation and food waste The upgrade of existing charities in accordance with the FEBA charter, along with the establishment of new food banks, will yield multiple social benefits 25

26 5. Conclusions 26

27 Conclusions Food insecurity is a serious social problem in Greece About 1.4 million people were experiencing food insecurity in 2015 (12.9% of the population, versus 8.5% in the EU and 7.3% in the Euro area) Greece was ranked at the 8 th worst position among 30 European countries in 2015 (from 15 th in 2008) Due mainly to the fall in incomes The problem is particularly acute for certain categories of the population Considerable scope for limiting food waste, alleviating food insecurity Greece is placed 5 th in the EU in terms of food waste as a % of food production At the 4 th worst place based on food waste per person It is estimated that 30% of the food waste in the households is suitable for human consumption There are delays in the utilisation of resources from FEAD for food insecurity Greece is envisaged to receive 281 million from FEAD between 2014 and 2020 In terms of FEAD utilisation, Greece is ranked 19th among 21 countries with approved expenditures The more extensive utilisation of the food bank model will contribute to the fight against food insecurity and food waste in Greece The food banks have expertise and infrastructure for effective management of food donations In several European countries, there are extensive networks with local food banks or local branches of food banks In Greece, food banks operate in Athens and Thessaloniki There is room for the development of more food banks in the country 27

28 Policy implications Support the establishment and growth of food banks throughout the Greek territory Resources of the European Social Fund through the NSRF are allocated for similar purposes There might be possibilities of supporting charitable organisations through programmes of the European Investment Bank Group as well Effective participation of the civil society in the design and management of the FEAD food assistance The use of the resources of the programme are disappointing so far The activation of the know-how and the networks of the civil society organisations can significantly improve the performance of the programme In this direction, a parallel national network can be created to manage the FEAD resources that might be lost if not used in time by the existing mechanism 28

29 Thank you for your attention Study team: Alexander Moustakas, Elias Demian, Grigoris Pavlou, Sofia Stavraki and Svetoslav Danchev Coordination: Nikos Vettas, Director General of IOBE and Professor at the Athens University of Economic and Business The complete study report is available in Greek at the website of IOBE ( 29