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Listen "Why We Are Hopeful: Ideas and Actions for a Brighter Food Future"
Episode Synopsis
In episode five of Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet, despite the many challenges facing our food systems, we celebrate how food banks transform surplus into nourishment, opportunity, and hope for a more sustainable future.
Jomar Fleras shares how Rise Against Hunger Philippines evolved from hosting meal-packaging events to launching the Philippines’ first food bank in 2018. He highlights their innovative partnership with farmers in Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal, where up to half of vegetables are rejected for cosmetic reasons and wasted. By creating a food bank and barter system at the trading post, farmers can exchange surplus vegetables for essentials, while recovered produce supports school feeding programs that reach about 20,000 people. Jomar also describes their new women-led food processing plant, which turns excess crops into healthy snacks for schools and products like tomato puree for local businesses — creating
livelihoods, reducing waste and improving children’s nutrition.
Lisa Moon, CEO and president of The Global FoodBanking Network, emphasized that with climate change threatening food production, the world cannot afford to waste a third of its food, and
nutritious, safe surplus must be redirected to people facing hunger. She
outlined GFN’s four priorities for the future: strengthening food banks in the
Global South, particularly in communities most affected by hunger and climate shocks; supporting emerging food banks through GFN’s Accelerator program to help new organizations grow quickly; expanding access to nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables by partnering with farmers and producers; and ensuring food banks are active players in broader food systems transformation. She highlighted food banks not just as hunger relief organizations, but as essential actors in building equitable, sustainable and resilient food systems worldwide.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of The Global FoodBanking Network.
Jomar Fleras shares how Rise Against Hunger Philippines evolved from hosting meal-packaging events to launching the Philippines’ first food bank in 2018. He highlights their innovative partnership with farmers in Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal, where up to half of vegetables are rejected for cosmetic reasons and wasted. By creating a food bank and barter system at the trading post, farmers can exchange surplus vegetables for essentials, while recovered produce supports school feeding programs that reach about 20,000 people. Jomar also describes their new women-led food processing plant, which turns excess crops into healthy snacks for schools and products like tomato puree for local businesses — creating
livelihoods, reducing waste and improving children’s nutrition.
Lisa Moon, CEO and president of The Global FoodBanking Network, emphasized that with climate change threatening food production, the world cannot afford to waste a third of its food, and
nutritious, safe surplus must be redirected to people facing hunger. She
outlined GFN’s four priorities for the future: strengthening food banks in the
Global South, particularly in communities most affected by hunger and climate shocks; supporting emerging food banks through GFN’s Accelerator program to help new organizations grow quickly; expanding access to nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables by partnering with farmers and producers; and ensuring food banks are active players in broader food systems transformation. She highlighted food banks not just as hunger relief organizations, but as essential actors in building equitable, sustainable and resilient food systems worldwide.
Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of The Global FoodBanking Network.
More episodes of the podcast Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet
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18/09/2025
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