“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 25

The availability of food is a basic human right and is critical to the well-being of everyone. Unfortunately, throughout Europe there are people who cannot provide adequate food for themselves or their families. This problem is not caused by a shortage of food. The most common reason why people cannot feed themselves is poverty.

According to FEBA, the European Food Banks Federation, in Europe 80 million people live below the poverty line and among them, 30 million suffer from malnutrition. In Albania, the numbers are equally troubling. These citizens often cannot provide enough food for their families.

On the other hand, the European Commission estimates that almost 50% of the food produced in Europe is discarded. This includes waste throughout the food chain, from produce that is not harvested or spoils before it reaches a market to foods that are not sold and must be discarded. Even Albania consistently produces food surpluses.

Imagine if all this wasted food could be collected and redistributed to families in need. This is the mission of Food Bank Albania – helping to feed the needy using the surpluses already available in society. We believe that no one should go hungry and that we have a moral obligation to help the less fortunate members of society.