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World Food Day convoy delivered a record amount of food

The joint convoy of UN FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) and Hungarian Food Bank Association called attention to the fight against food waste.

Camions fully loaded with food donations rolled through downtown Budapest celebrating World Food Day and raising awareness of food waste and the importance of healthy diet. Besides awareness raising, the joint action of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the Hungarian Food Bank Association also helped families in need.

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Among the 20 local and international partners of Food Bank, Coca‑Cola Hungary also joined the Donation Convoy this year.

According to data by FAO, as much as one third of the food produced worldwide can be wasted annually. Although the world produces enough food to feed the planet’s population, there are currently 820 million people starving. To eradicate hunger is not just about sufficient calorie intake but protecting our natural resources and eating healthily and variably. By reducing food waste, we can make progress in these areas.

The 50 tonnes of food delivered by the convoy provided a wide range of food industry products – demonstrating variety. The donations included pasta, canned food, biscuits, soft drinks, chocolate and other non-perishable foods.

The companies having joined the Donation Convoy were:

ALDI Hungary Food Co., Auchan Retail Hungary, Budapest Wholesale Market Ltd., Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary Ltd., Danone Hungary Ltd., Detki Keksz Ltd., Gyermelyi Ltd., HEINEKEN Hungária Ltd., Favorite Trading House Ltd., KFC, Kometa '99 Zrt., METRO Trading Ltd., Nestlé Hungária Ltd., Nutricia Hungary, Pek-Snack Ltd., Penny Market Hungary Ltd., Rauch Hungária Ltd., Soós Pasta Ltd., Tesco-Global Department Stores Ltd., Univer Product Ltd.

„The World Food Day is an occasion to call everybody to action so that we can help disseminate healthy diet and sustainable nutrition” – said Vladimir Rakhmanin, FAO Deputy Director-General and Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia. He added that “by reducing the amount of food lost and wasted, we contribute to reaching important sustainable development goals such as eradicating hunger and protecting our environment.”

As Balázs Cseh, President of Hungarian Food Bank pointed out, the Donation Convoy had been the symbol of collaboration for 14 years.  

He said: “On World Nutrition Day, we think, it is important to emphasise that food waste can only be decreased if industry players, NGOs, and professional organisations joined forces.”

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We have collaborated with the Hungarian Food Bank Association for years and we regularly provide the organisation with products within expiration date and perfectly suitable for human consumption but not allowed to be marketed for some reason. The Food Bank distribute them among those in need and so besides helping communities they rescue food from disposal and decrease environmental impact.

Orsolya Nyilas Head of External Communication at Coca‑Cola HBC Hungary

About World Food Day

On the initiative of Hungary, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrates the jubilee of its establishment on World Food Day, on 16th of October each year. More than 150 countries all over the world do so, therefore this day has become one of the most significant events of the United Nations. The event aims to raise awareness of the people starving and suffering from various form of malnutrition and that food and healthy nutrition is still not accessible to all.

World Food Day is an important occasion to remind us all that together we can wipe out problems of nutrition even within a generation so we can be the first generation unaware of hunger.