Coca-Cola HBC Hungary participated in the World Food Day convoy again this year

A donation convoy loaded with food donations worth HUF 100 million, including a vehicle of Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, passed through the historic downtown of Budapest on the occasion of World Food Day. A convoy of 20 trucks organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Hungarian Food Bank Association, transported over 60,000 kilograms of products, donated by food producers and distributors.

The aim of the World Food Day convoy is not simply raising awareness of the public, corporate, and civil spheres of major food security problems, a large part of humanity is facing. It also offers tangible help to the most vulnerable, delivering food donations to tens of thousands of people in need.

Today's global crises of the ongoing pandemic, conflicts, climate change, inflation and international tensions all have a serious impact on food security. More than 800 million people suffer from hunger worldwide, and the number is rising sharply, so there is a greater need than ever for governments, private sector, and the civil society to take action to alleviate hunger collaborate, as well as for raising the awareness of the public, highlighted the FAO, the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Ministry of Agriculture of Hungary on World Food Day.

Important steps can be made even at home

„The Food Bank has already saved more than six million kilograms of surplus, near-expired or even packaging damaged food from the commercial and production sector this year, so that it did not end up in the waste disposal but with the people in need”, highlighted Antal Molnár, executive vice president of the Hungarian Food Bank Association. „However, everyone can play a role in ensuring food security. For instance, by making conscious decisions that support ending hunger, by buying local and seasonal products and by giving preference to products that require less packaging.”

Another such step is avoiding food waste at home. Unfortunately, 31 percent of the food produced globally ends up in the bin or goes to waste – mostly in households. However, with more planning in our shopping and proper food storage, a lot of food can be saved from spoilage.

Everyone feels the impact of skyrocketing food prices, but the most vulnerable groups are the most affected. Organizations that help them, such as the Food Bank, welcome not only financial donations, but also volunteering or other resources. At the end of a difficult year, and at the beginning of a perhaps even more critical period, they need every contribution.

Ministry of Agriculture: Continuous support to food producers

The government provided HUF 25 billion to the Ministry of Agriculture through its National Food Economy Crisis Management Program since 2020 to ease economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the most affected agricultural sectors.

„This year’s extreme dry weather and the energy crisis caused by Russian-Ukrainian conflict put additional burden on crop and livestock farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture continues to help them through supportive measures that address the interests and needs of farmers, such as credit payment moratorium and the introduction of a new credit program with a special interest rate subsidy”, added Oszkár Ökrös, the Deputy State Secretary responsible for international relations at the Ministry of Agriculture.

35,000 packages of food donated on World Food Day

The companies joining the donation convoy are partners of the Hungarian Food Bank Association: ALDI Magyarország Élelmiszer Bt., Auchan Magyarország, Bio-Fungi Kft., Bonafarm Csoport, Coca-Cola HBC Magyarország Kft., Danone  KFT., Dr. Oetker Magyarország, Global Green Europe Kft., Gyermelyi Zrt., KFC, Kifli.hu, KOMETA 99 Zrt., Lidl Magyarország, METRO Kereskedelmi Kft., Pek-Snack Kft., PENNY Magyarország, Rauch Hungária Kft., Shell Hungary Zrt. és logisztikai partnere a HAVI Logistics Kft., Tesco-Globál Áruházak Zrt., Upfield Hungary Kft.

The donation convoy transported 60 tons of non-perishable food, including canned ready meals, UHT milk, margarine, porridge, oat milk, pickles, salami, pasta and beverages. The food donations worth HUF 100 million were transported to the Food Bank’s central warehouse in the XVII district in Budapest where over 35,000 food packages will be made out of it.

About World Food Day (16 October)

World Food Day is a coalition of 150 countries that aims to raise awareness among decision-makers and the public about the hunger that is affecting humanity and to encourage them to tackle the food problem. The theme of this year's World Food Day is „Leave no one behind”, which highlights that we can only lay the foundations for a more sustainable common future together.