Coca-Cola HBC Hungary participated in the World Food Day convoy for the eighth time

Diverse, nutritious, affordable and safe foods are essential for all of us to maintain an active and healthy life. The joint World Food Day event organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture at Heroes Square on the 16th of September focused on the issues of accessibility, intersectoral cooperation and balanced diets. The event included a 200 meter long convoy of 19 trucks, including one car of Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, which delivered a total of 30,000 kilograms of food donations to people in need.

Food is the most basic human need, right after air and water. The right to food is recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as access to diverse, nutritious, affordable and safe food is necessary for all of us to maintain an active and healthy life.

Compared to this, after the social, economic and climatic turbulence of recent years, hunger is on the rise again worldwide. Currently, around 733 million people in the world are facing hunger and more than 2.8 billion people worldwide cannot afford a healthy diet, which contributes to malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity.

Quantitative or qualitative hunger?

Food problems are present in the most developed economies as well, one of the reasons being the one-sided diet, typically based on only two or three ingredients. This imbalanced diet ignores our body's overall nutritional needs, such as adequate intake of vitamins, fibre or even protein.

One of the important aims of this year's World Food Day was to highlight that supplementing these nutrients, and developing and following a healthier diet, is not only good for us, but also for the planet. By using local, seasonal and affordable ingredients, and by using a variety of cooking methods, we can make our meals more balanced and enjoyable. This was the central theme of a joint event organized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Hungarian Food Bank Association and the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture.

World Food Day: Hungarian initiative for global goals

World Food Day (celebrated on 16 October) was initiated by Hungary in the late 1970s to commemorate the founding of the FAO in 1945, to raise awareness of hunger and to encourage everyone to play their part in building a sustainable future for food, people and planet. 

All sectors and groups (including governments, the private sector, farmers, the scientific community, civil society and individuals) have an important role to play in promoting the right to food and driving positive change on the path towards more sustainable agri-food systems.

„The significance of World Food Day is shown by the fact that, according to forecasts, while the world's population could increase by 25% by the middle of the century, the food demand of the world's population could rise by 60%,” – said István Nagy, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture. He stressed that Hungary, as the country holding the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, is playing a key role in shaping EU rules to reduce food waste. The Minister recalled that in developed countries more than half of the food wastage is generated in households, and recognizing this, the "No Leftovers" program of the National Food Chain Safety Office was implemented in Hungary in 2016. He said that the recent years have proven the success of the initiative, as food waste per capita in Hungary has decreased by more than a quarter.

Affordable yet diverse

The Food Bank has also invited recognized culinary experts to encourage the public to choose diverse, nutritious and affordable diets. István Pesti, Michelin-starred chef at the Platán Gourmet Restaurant in Tata, highlighted the diversity of protein- and antioxidant-rich legumes with a fresh lentil salad served with chickpea cream and a chilli bean soup with roasted pork ears. He said lentils, chickpeas, beans and green peas have good effects on blood sugar levels due to their slow absorption and also contribute to sustainable agriculture as nitrogen-fixing plants.

The executive chef of Szaletly Restaurant and Garden, Dániel Bernát, presented beetroot dishes with soft cheese and chervil pesto. He said that beetroot was not only chosen for its versatile use. This seasonal tuberous root vegetable is also good for our health: it is rich in vitamin C, iron, potassium, folic acid and nitrates, and therefore good for the blood circulation and liver function.

By choosing the featured ingredients, we can do good both for ourselves and for the planet, and of course we can contribute to sustainability through other actions beyond changing our eating habits. For example, we can reduce food waste, learn about global food security challenges and increase the availability of healthy, local and seasonal foods by buying them.

30,000 kilograms of food donated

The event ended with the arrival of a 200 meter long vehicle convoy. FAO and the Hungarian Food Bank Association organized the World Food Day convoy for the 19th time, which drove through downtown Budapest, passing by Heroes' Square and went to the Food Bank's warehouse in the XVII district. The convoy of nineteen trucks and lorries transported 30,000 kilograms of food with long shelf life, including canned food, pasta, baby food, sugar and cheese. In the coming days, 9,000 food packages worth HUF 45 million in total will be prepared for people in need.

The food donation convoy is another example of cross-sector cooperation to ensure nutritious, affordable, safe and sustainable food for everyone. 

The companies joining the donation convoy are partners of the Hungarian Food Bank Association: ALDI Hungary Food Ltd., Auchan Hungary, Bio-Fungi Ltd., Bonafarm Group, Bonduelle Central Europe Ltd., Budapest Party Service, Coca-Cola HBC Hungary Ltd., Danone Hungary Ltd., Gyermelyi Plc., Intersnack Hungary Ltd., Kifli.hu, KOMETA 99 Plc, Közértplusz Plc., Mars Hungary Sales Ltd., METRO Wholesale, Mirbest, Nestlé Hungary Ltd., PENNY Hungary, Shell Hungary Plc. and its logistics partner HAVI Logistics Ltd., Tesco-Global Stores Ltd., Waberer's Group.