Chicago, IL, USA – February 16, 2018 – Today, Chinese people around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year, and The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) announces its first Certified Member from mainland China, Green Food Bank, based in Shanghai. The establishment of food banking in mainland China is an important step to addressing the issue of food insecurity in the country, where an estimated one in 10 Chinese people is at risk of hunger.
Founded in 2015, Green Food Bank today serves more than 160,000 low-income Chinese people by securing wholesome food that might otherwise go to waste and redistributing it to institutions that feed the hungry. As a GFN Certified Member, Green Food Bank is poised to reach even more people by benefiting from GFN’s global partnerships, ongoing technical assistance, and capacity building programs and grant opportunities.
“We are pleased to welcome Green Food Bank as a GFN member,” said Lisa Moon, GFN President and Chief Executive Officer. “China is the world largest food and beverage market, yet an estimated 11 percent of Chinese people are food insecure and four percent of children are malnourished. By establishing food banking in China, surplus food that would otherwise be lost or wasted will be redirected to hungry families in need.”
GFN is working to expand the food banking model in China and throughout Asia, where two-thirds of the world’s hungry live. When food banks are established in a country, hungry or food insecure populations have more access to food, and the environment benefits by redirecting wholesome food from landfills to people in need. According to the United Nations – Food and Agriculture Organization, if even one-fourth of the food wasted or lost globally could be recovered, it would be enough to feed 870 million of the world’s hungry.
“We are excited to become a member and to be a part of The Global FoodBanking Network family,” said Eve Li, Director of Green Food Bank. “For the past three years, the organization and its members worldwide have provided us with great support. As the first and only certified food bank in mainland China, we look forward to reducing food waste, helping people in need, and advancing the food banking model in the country.”
Food banks earn GFN Certified Member status through a rigorous certification program, which assures that food is safely handled and distributed equitably to agencies and low-income populations. GFN Certification requirements assure partners and donors that the food bank has sound protocols and procedures in place to operate safely and efficiently. GFN members are subject to regular field visits and consultations from the international compliance staff, and are recertified every two years to ensure that they continue to function in full compliance with these high standards.
The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) is a non-profit organization that nourishes the world’s hungry through launching and strengthening food banks in more than 30 countries. Last year GFN member food banks rescued 940 million pounds of food and redirected it to feed more than 7.11 million people through more than 43,000 social service organizations. For more information, please visit foodbanking.org.
