Hello! This is Dickson Ip from Hong Kong Branch.

Food waste reduction offers multi-faceted wins for people and planet, improving food security, addressing climate change, saving money, and reducing pressures on land, water, biodiversity, and waste management systems. Yet this potential has until now been woefully under-exploited.

This potential may have been overlooked because the true scale of food waste and its impacts have not been well understood. Global estimates of food waste have relied on extrapolation of data from a small number of countries, often using old data. Few governments have robust data on food waste to make the case to act and prioritize their efforts.

In July 2023, SMTB Hong Kong Branch participated in two sessions of volunteer service on meal box preparation organized by “Food Angel”. Its objectives are to learn about Hong Kong serious food waste and poverty issues. We can also understand the work of Food Angel and the importance of volunteer work.　　

Food Angel is a food rescue and food assistance program launched in 2011 by Bo Charity Foundation with the mission of “Waste Not, Hunger Not, With Love”. It rescues edible surplus food from different sectors of the food industry that would otherwise be disposed of as waste. Following strict safety protocols, the rescued food items will then be prepared as nutritious meals in our central kitchens and food packs.  They will be distributed to serve the underprivileged communities in Hong Kong.

Currently, Food Angel rescues 45 tonnes of edible surplus food each week, producing over 20,000 nutritious meals and helps distribute over 11,000 other meals and food packs daily free of charge for people who are in need of food assistance.

 After joining this event, we believed that this precious experience would make us have better understanding on food waste behavior and share this habit to families and friends.

Education is important to us. We advocate the virtue of cherishing food and caring for the community. Let lives be enriched through giving and receiving!