What Is Food Bank?

Food Banks as Examples of Active Citizenship

Commentators see food banks as examples of active, caring citizenship. The rise of foodbanks may erode political support for welfare provision according to other academics. Some people feel ashamed at having to use food banks, and researchers have reported that they can be inefficient compared to state-run welfare.

The difference between food banks is whether they give out food directly to the hungry or if they supply food to other front-line organizations. In the US, Australia and Canada, food banks are usually used as warehouses rather than as suppliers, though there are exceptions. In other countries, food banks give out food parcels to the needy, similar to the service that food pantries in the US offer.

Most of the food donated to food banks in the US comes from food left over from normal processes. It can come from growers who have produced too much, from manufacturers who overproduced, or from retailers who overordered. The product is approaching or past its sell by date.

Food Banks: A General Framework for Giving to Non-Governing Organization

The primary difference between a large food bank and a smaller food pantry is that the food bank collects food, warehouses it, and distributes it to other charities which provide the food to the public. A food bank may give food to a food pantry. Most large-scale central food banks give out food on a limited basis, and do not give out food directly to the public.

Food banks can give food to any organization that helps feed the public, whether or not food is the main aim of the charity or only a part of it. Shelters and soup kitchens may get some of their food from the central food bank. Food banks can be run by larger nonprofits or by community-based charities.

The Impact of Food Insufficiency on the World

Food insufficiency can be broken down into three parts. Food availability is the first thing that means having a consistent food supply. Food access is the second type of food access and it means that a person has the resources to get enough food.

Food utilization is the third and addresses how a person consumes food and whether or not they use the food available to maintain a healthy diet. Sanitation and hygiene practices contribute to food utilization. More than 9 million people die from global food insufficiency each year.

Poverty and food insecurity have been linked because people living in poverty are less likely to have enough money to buy food or produce their own. Families without the resources to escape poverty are more likely to be hungry. There are many factors that contribute to the large number of people who are food-insecure.

Food insufficiency affects people and communities all over the world. The number of people living with hunger has dropped since the 20th century, but there are still more than 800 million people without food security. Poor nutrition is a factor in half of deaths in children under five in developing countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest prevalence of people living in hunger, with 25 percent of the population living in food insufficiency. There are a number of programs and nonprofits that rely on donations and aid to make a difference. The World Food Programme and World Health Organization are two charities that devote time and resources to fight hunger.