Food Banks Prevented 1.8 Million Metric Tons of Carbon Emissions Last Year

The latest [annual impact report](https://archive.ph/o/bllW2/https://www.foodbanking.org/our-impact/network-activity-report-2023/) from the Global Foodbanking Network — a nonprofit that works with regional food banks in more than 50 countries to fight hunger — found that its member organizations provided 1.7 billion meals to more than 40 million people in 2023. According to the nonprofit, this redistribution of food, much of which was recovered from farms or wholesale produce markets, mitigated an estimated 1.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Efforts show how food banks can serve the dual purpose of addressing hunger and protecting the environment. By intercepting perfectly good, edible food before it winds up in the landfill, food banks help mitigate harmful greenhouse gas emissions created by food loss and waste.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that [58 percent of methane emissions](https://archive.ph/o/bllW2/https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-10/food-waste-landfill-methane-10-8-23-final_508-compliant.pdf) from U.S. landfills come from food waste. Globally, food loss and waste have been estimated to be responsible for [8 percent to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions](https://archive.ph/o/bllW2/https://www.nrdc.org/bio/madeline-keating/ipcc-food-systems-adaptation-critical), and reducing them is essential for achieving climate targets.