CHICAGO: October 18, 2016. Brambles, the global pallet-pooling logistics company, has signed a three-year finance agreement with the Global FoodBanking Network (GFN).
The GFN operates 792 food banks in 32 countries and last year redirected 422,000 tonnes of food to feed more than 6.8 million people through 27,000 social service organizations.
Brambles says it will help the GFN by providing supply chain knowledge, in-kind contributions, volunteers and donations to help reduce hunger, poverty, malnutrition and food waste globally.
According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 1.3 billion tonnes of food, a third of global production, is wasted annually at a cost of US$990 billion - while nearly 800 million people suffer from hunger every day.
Of the 17 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), zero hunger is the No.2 goal after no poverty. The World Bank acknowledges the reduction in food waste is critical to achieving this goal while protecting the environment and growing economic opportunity.
Commenting on the support for the GFN, Brambles CEO Tom Gorman said: "We are focused on reducing post-harvest food loss, [while] improving the ability of small holder farmers to access modern packaging that protects the integrity of the product and enhances food safety.
"Whether we are working with individual food banks, the GFN, The Consumer Goods Forum or Enactus our employees are dedicated to improving access to food and economic opportunity and to improving the sustainability of our environment," he added.
The SDGs, which came into effect in January this year, are a universal call to action. U.N. Development Programme administrator Helen Clark says they provide a common plan to tackle poverty, climate change and conflict. As the lead U.N. development agency, her organization helps implement the 17 goals in 170 countries.
In addition to Brambles, GFN partners include Caterpillar, Macquarie, General Mills, Pepsico, Bank of America, Cargill, Kellogg's, Radisson and Hilton.
Acknowledging the FAO World Food Day on October 16, GFN president and CEO Lisa Moon noted: "No one company, government or organization is big enough to move markets and solve the problem of food security alone. We must work together on a finite planet to produce enough food for more people. Nothing can be more urgent to secure our future, and that of our children."
