Food banks across the globe provided nearly two billion meals last year — but they aren’t just helping to feed the hungry

B Tina Deines. Originally published in The Cool Down on September 27, 2024

Food banks across the world are rescuing food from farmers before it gets thrown out, helping people in need and reducing planet-warming pollution.

Scientific American summarized The Global Foodbanking Network‘s annual impact report, which said its member organizations provided 1.7 billion meals to more than 40 million people in 2023. 

Much of this was recovered from farms or wholesale produce markets. The organization estimates that salvaging all of this food — which would likely have ended up in landfills — mitigated approximately 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Food waste warms the planet because it releases methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as it decomposes. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 58% of methane emissions from U.S. landfills come from food waste. 

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