The Food Bank collected almost five million kilograms of donations in the first half of the year

Five years ago, the last time the association managed to save and donate to the needy as many expired and defective food as in the first half of this year. 4.9 million kilograms of goods were collected from stores, manufacturers and restaurants.

In recent years, the stock management practices of commercial chains have improved, and most stores have less and less end-of-day leftovers and near-expiration surpluses. While in 2018, the Food Bank saved 129 kilos of baked goods, fruit and vegetables and other food from an average store, this amount was reduced to a third in the first half of 2024.

Considerable efforts and new food rescue procedures were necessary so that, despite this, the amount of donations sent to the needy did not drop. Members of the national food rescue network visit 733 stores daily for surpluses, which is 2.5 times the number of stores visited five years ago. In addition, the association’s ready-made food rescue program launched last year is also successful.