Foodbanks salvage what would go to waste to feed those in need
A line of mostly senior residents forms at the gate of the Puxiong Xinyuan residential complex every morning around 8:30, waiting for a foodbank to start the day's distribution.
Established by the nonprofit Green Foodbank, it is one of the first of its kind when it was established in China.
What's on offer at the distribution center? That varies. Some days there are leftover vegetables provided by the nearby Aldi supermarket; other days there are frozen meats from Tyson Foods Inc. Recently, the foodbank had boxes of eel-stuffed zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings, donated by the online cooking channel Sean's Kitchen after the Dragon Boat Festival.
"Our policy is that every recipient can take a day's portion of food at one time," said Li Ping, who oversees the distribution point. "Sometimes it may be a small pack of vegetables, or perhaps a frozen chicken breast. People who come here are required to provide their name, ID number and contact information."
Every morning, a long line of residents waits at the Puxiong site in Putuo District to pick up leftover vegetables, meat and snacks.
Established in 2015 in Shanghai, the Green Foodbank now has about 500 distribution points around the country. Its aim is to turn surplus food and food near its expiration date to help people in need.
Food waste is a global problem, and China is no exception.
As long as a decade ago, the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research in China carried out a survey that found between 17-18 million tons of food went to waste every year from eateries alone. At that time, the "waste" would have fed 30-50 million people for a year.
There's no indication that food wastage globally has declined much, if at all, since then, as living standards rose.
The good news is that Green Foodbank has salvaged at least 10 million tons of food from nearly 300 food manufacturers since its establishment. In the first half of this year alone, nearly 650 tons of food have been distributed.
The organization has a warehouse in Putuo, where donations are inventoried before being delivered. Last month, after receiving a donation of 2 million yuan (US$274,350) from the Development Bank of Singapore, the organization purchased a van that can travel to 30 communities outside of current distribution points every month.
"We examine food coming into our warehouse to ensure that it meets health and safety standards," said Wang Mingjie, project manager of the organization. "The foodbank has really helped a lot of people."
The warehouse of Green Foodbank in Putuo District
People like Chen Xingdi, 81, who frequents the Puxiong site. She lives alone and said she sometimes finds it hard to get to a grocery store.
"I come here to get a portion of food when it's very hot outside," she said. "It's much closer than any grocery store. I don't really eat much anyway."
Chen Xingdi, 81, comes for a portion of food at the Puxiong distributing center of Green Foodbank.
Not far away is a distribution center that assists Zhanyi Home, a facility for children with developmental disabilities.
"Teachers and parent volunteers distribute the food to children, and it's a 'happy day' when their favorite snacks arrive," said Cui Jingjing, a teacher at the institute.
The foodbanks also prepare much larger food parcels for needy families in communities.
"We cooperate with local neighborhood committee to find needy families and send them monthly packages that include rice, cooking oil and other foodstuffs," Wang said. "And we're not talking about food about to expire, but rather fresh food donated by manufacturers."
The foodbank has to refuse homemade baked goods and household leftovers.
"We appreciate the spirit of donations," Wang said, "but the foods don't qualify for distribution. It increases our workload to have to separate out such foods."
Demand always exceeds supply. Wang said the foodbank has to turn down some community and institutional requests for food because donors or logistics are lacking.
"Especially with demands from other provinces, it's almost impossible for us to deliver the foods from Shanghai," said Wang. "Some companies are willing to donate food but don't cover transport, so that we have to spend money and energy on deliveries."
Wang Mingjie arranges a shelf at the warehouse of Green Foodbank.
Still, there are hopeful signs. The prevalence of foodbanks has focused public attention on food waste. Restaurants, companies and institutes are more cognizant of the problem and thinking up innovative ways to deal with leftovers and reduce waste.
One popular example in the country is the "leftover mystery box."
On WeChat, a mini-program called Xishi Magic Box (惜食魔法袋) provides mystery boxes of randomly packed leftover foods from nearby eateries – mainly baked goods and beverages – at a 70 percent discount. It has cooperated with more than 3,000 eateries in more than 30 cities, attracting more than 2 million buyers.
Users can post pictures and comment on their orders, giving potential customers a hint of what they might get from surprise parcels they buy. The app has rapidly become a hit on the Internet.
A user displays the baked goods bought in a Xishi Magic Box.
Just as the concept of foodbanks originated in the US in the 1960s, the idea of "leftover mystery boxes" was also introduced from outside China. The Danish application "Too Good to Go" is a pioneer in such surplus food schemes.
In China, however, some people wonder if such mystery boxes are safe. The China Consumers Association warned earlier this month that leftover mystery boxes have many "uncertainties" and it's difficult for consumers to judge when and how the foods were produced.
"Baked goods can be used in mystery boxes, but bakeries should provide consumers with expiry dates and preservative information," said the association in a statement.
The campaign to reduce waste will never eliminate the problem, experts in the field say.
"We need to understand that food waste can only be minimized," said Yang Xin, assistant researcher with Rural Development Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Many consumers just don't think about discarding food. We need more transparent food production, more thorough food-safety education and more penalties for unnecessary food waste."
(Jia Fang also contributed to the story.)
If you want to donate to the foodbank
Follow the Official Account "绿洲盛食社" on WeChat and find the "I want to donate (我要捐款/我要捐物)" button under the "services" section. At present only Chinese instructions are available.
