Don't waste - use transport! Food Banks and Raben on the road together

Almost 9 years of Raben Group's cooperation with Food Banks can be summarised as almost 17,000 transported pallets, 9,500 tonnes of rescued food and over 23.5 million served meals. No one even tries to count the covered kilometres anymore since the cooperation is not about distance.

The Federation of Polish Food Banks and Raben Group have been saving food from waste and distributing it to people in need since 2015. Food banks source food free of charge from producers and retail chains. These are often products with a short shelf life, for which delivery time is crucial. This is where the logistics and transport support of Raben Logistics Polska and Fresh Logistics Polska comes into play, enabling Food Banks to more effectively acquire unsold but still usable food.

Cooperation with Food Banks has always been an important part of our social engagement. - says Ewelina Jabłońska-Gryżenia, Head of Sustainability at Raben Group - As a logistics operator serving the FMCG sector among others, we feel that we have a real influence and opportunity to take up the fight against food waste and hunger. That is why we have been carrying out charity transports for years. In this way, we can not only implement our ESG strategy but also respond to the global challenges formulated in the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals.

We are still wasting

According to the PROM project results, the total scale of food waste in Poland, taking into account all links in the production, distribution and consumption chain, is 4.8 million tonnes. A study carried out during the PROM project identified that agricultural production is responsible for around 15% of wasted food. Processing losses are at a similar level (around 15%). In contrast, less than 1% is wasted during transport and storage. In retail, losses are estimated at around 7% and in catering it is just over 1%. Unfortunately, it is consumers who waste the most food - as much as 60% of food, or almost 3 million tonnes a year, ends up in household rubbish bins.

Transport and logistics are the most important links in the aid chain. In order for the food to reach those in need, we have to collect it quickly from donors and store it in one of the 31 Food Banks across Poland, says Beata Ciepła, President of the Federation of Polish Food Banks. - Without the cooperation with Raben Group, Food Banks would have to bear all of the very high transport costs. However, with the help of such partners, we are able to distribute free food to those who need it, effectively and in a timely manner.

As with most problems, so with food waste - prevention is easier than cure. Each of us can contribute to reducing food waste. One of the simplest principles can be called the PSPS Principle. Planning - try to buy what you need and not be seduced by promotions. Storage - unfortunately, even in the fridge we store food on the wrong shelves. Processing - if we find that we have some leftovers after the holidays, we can prepare some tasty dishes. And finally - Share when we have too much of something.

Not only transport

It is also worth mentioning that in 2018, as part of the #RabenExpress campaign, together with Rafał Gębura, an influencer from the “7 metres underground” channel, a report on the operations of Food Banks in Poland was prepared on the activities of the Food Banks in Poland called “Let me tell you a story about a paradox.” Thanks to the film, which was viewed over 500,000 times, Food Banks collected PLN 100,000. The collected funds helped to save 800 tonnes of  food from being wasted and to deliver it to those who need it the most.

What's the plan?

Food Banks will continue their mission to save food from going to waste and distribute it to those in need. In Poland, almost 1.6 million people live below the poverty line and they are struggling to cope with soaring food prices caused by inflation. At the same time, according to the Food Banks' report "Malnutrition and hunger in Poland" which surveyed people receiving free food aid, as much as 53% of the respondents do not have enough money to meet their basic needs - including the purchase of food. For this reason, one of the objectives of Food Banks is to attract new food donors among food producers and to continue working with reliable and trustworthy partners, such as Raben Group. Traditionally, the Christmas Food Drive will also be organised on 24-25 November in brick-and-mortar shops across Poland.