Food Bank Vietnam launches a programme called Food Share to promote food sharing and stop wastage on October 15. Photo courtesy of Food Bank Vietnam

HCM CITY — The non-profit Food Bank Vietnam on Saturday launched a programme called Food Share to promote food sharing and stop wastage.

It would promote the use of technology in sharing food and help prevent food waste, Nguyễn Tuấn Khởi, chairman of Food Bank Vietnam, said.

It would raise public awareness through various activities and promote establishment of food sharing clubs through the education system, he said.

It would also promote the setting up of a food sharing and food waste prevention association to help create a legal framework against food wastage, he added.

Food Bank Vietnam, a member of the Global Food Bank Network, has delivered 11.6 million kilogrammes of food and supported 3.5 million people since 2018.

According to Craig A. Nemitz, director of field services at the Global Foodbanking Network, a third of all food made for human consumption is never eaten.

Food banks are local sustainable non-profit organisations that provide environment-friendly alternatives to surplus food disposal, and rescue safe, wholesome food before it is wasted and redirect it to feed hungry people.

Food banks source an increasing amount of highly nutritious food including dairy products, proteins and produce from all sectors prior to their shelf-life expiration.

Food waste harms the environment by producing methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, when dumped in landfills.

Food banks globally are however rescuing less than 1 per cent of food surplus.

Anil Viswanathan, managing director of Mondelez Vietnam, said Mondelez Kinh Đô and Food Bank Vietnam had become partners in the last two years to implement meaningful activities as part of the latter’s two major missions - no hunger and reduction of food waste.

Besides giving free food to people in need, his company would also join hands with Food Bank Vietnam in the fight against food waste and encourage people to join the fight, he added.

Global FoodBanking Network is a non-profit created to eliminate hunger and reduce food waste by creating and supporting food banks around the world.

It supports food banks in 44 countries. —VNS