The Role of the Food Banks in Saving Freshwater Resources through Reducing Food Waste: The Case of the Food Bank of Navarra, Spain

Abstract

In the year 2011, the FAO estimated that food loss and waste reached one third of the total food produced worldwide. Since then, numerous studies have been published characterizing this problem and reflecting on its repercussions, not only social, but also environmental. Food wastage triggers unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation or loss of biodiversity. This study aims to quantify the water-related benefits associated with food loss and waste reduction by studying the Food Bank of Navarra (FBN). For this purpose, the water footprint assessment manual has been followed. First, the water footprint of the activities of the FBN has been analysed for the year 2018 (scenario with the FBN). A comparative analysis has been carried out between the scenario with the FBN and a theoretical scenario without the action of the FBN. This has allowed us to highlight the benefits associated with the activity of this entity. The FBN not only avoided the waste of 2.7 thousand tons of food suitable for consumption in 2018, but also avoided the unnecessary use of more than 3.2 million m3 of freshwater. As a result of the present investigation, it can be stated that promoting food banks, which avoid food waste, would be an effective way to contribute to the protection and conservation of water resources.

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“…Indeed, charity in the U.S. goes by the name "emergency food" for its role in helping people withstand and recover from crises. By meeting nutritional needs with food that would otherwise be discarded, non-market practices obviate the need to produce more food with additional land, labor, water, fuel, and fertilizer (Penalver & Aldaya, 2022). The idea that all food should be non-market food has been put forward by numerous social theorists (Kropotkin, 1893(Kropotkin, /1913) and utopian fiction authors (Mumford, 1922(Mumford, /1962.…”

Sinergisitas Humas Dan Jurnalistik Food Bank Aksata Pangan Dalam Mengurangi Sampah Makanan Di Kota Medan

“…Salah satu bentuk pencegahan peningkatan potensi sampah makanan dalam sektor yang lebih besar adalah FoodBank atau bank makanan, hal ini dapat menjadi gambaran solusi dari permasalahan tersebut, sebagaimana aktivitas yang mereka lakukan secara langsung dalam mencegah terjadinya pemborosan makanan dalam rantai produksi. Organisasi non-profit ini bergerak untuk mengumpulkan dan mendistribusikan makanan ke badan amal penanggulangan kelaparan atau langsung berhadapan dengan orang yang membutuhkan (Penalver & Aldaya, 2022). FoodBank bertindak sebagai tempat penyimpanan dan pendistribusian makanan yang tidak dikomersilkan oleh produsen maupun distributor karena alasan tertentu.…”

Food Banks against Climate Change, a Solution That Works: A Case Study in Navarra, Spain

“… Activities considered in the scenario with the Food Bank of Navarra (FBN). In this scenario, the food collection points included: manufacturers and distributors, The Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived, food collections, the Pamplona Region Commonwealth, fruit and vegetable producer organisations, and other food banks and food donations [ 12 ]. …”

“…Beyond the socioeconomic issues that food waste poses, there is an increasing amount of literature highlighting how food waste leads to the waste of fuel, energy, agrochemicals, water, land, and the labour that are all invested in its production [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. A relation between food waste and negative environmental impacts has been demonstrated, such as water resource depletion, photochemical ozone formation, water eutrophication, human toxicity, fossil resource depletion, land acidification, particulate matter, ecotoxicity, and global warming [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Food production is a resource-intensive activity and a significant contributor to GHGs.…”