Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet

Why We Are Hopeful: Ideas and Actions for a Brighter Food Future

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.

The Vital Role of Business in Alleviating Hunger

In episode four of Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet, dig into the role of businesses from across industries to alleviate hunger and reduce waste — because food banking isn’t just good for people and planet, it’s good for business and economies. Gonzalo Muñoz, UN climate change high-level champion and co-founder of Ambition Loop and Manuia, shares his lifelong connection to food systems and climate action, underscoring the immorality of food waste. He explains the powerful role businesses and governments can play in systemic transformation, especially through science-based targets and waste reduction policies. He also points to opportunities at COP30 to align food systems with climate goals and cites food recovery as a key solution. Stephanie Slingerland, Kellanova’s chief philanthropy officer, reflects on her 20 years in social impact work and Kellanova’s long partnership with GFN, highlighting how it evolved from food donations to broader initiatives such as school feeding, climate-smart meal solutions, and wellbeing research. She emphasizes the value of deep, strategic partnerships over superficial ones, and the balance between tried-and-true solutions and innovation. Danny Flores, senior manager of H-E-B’s Hunger Relief Program, discusses his 30-year journey at H-E-B, from mechanic to leading hunger relief. He describes the company’s deep history of giving, its role in co-founding GFN, and the importance of data to guide donations and improve supply chains. Flores stresses staff education, flexibility between retailers and food banks and the need to donate more safe, edible food. 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.

Making Food a Priority: Policy Solutions to Reduce Waste

In episode three of Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet, discover how policy change, community innovation and national advocacy are all essential to reducing food waste and hunger. Guests emphasize that food banks can’t do it alone — laws must encourage donation, communities must be empowered to act locally and governments must recognize food insecurity as a systemic issue requiring coordinated solutions. Emily Broad Leib, founder and director of Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) explains how the field of food law and policy emerged, from her early work in Mississippi to founding the FLPC. She highlights the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas (developed with GFN), which maps policies across 27+ countries to improve food donation and reduce waste. Emily discusses advances in liability protections, food waste deterrence policies, and previews new resources like the Atlas Starter Toolkit and expanded European research.  Tanaporn “Faii” Oi-Isaranukul, operations and communicators director at Scholars of Sustenance Thailand (SOS), shares SOS’s unique same-day food recovery and distribution model, built on strict food safety checks, community volunteers and an in-house logistics app. SOS helped develop Thailand’s first national food donation safety guidelines and is now exploring carbon credits and tax benefits linked to food recovery. Fai emphasizes community-driven food rescue and hopes for policies that normalize food donation and reduce environmental impacts.  Brianna Casey, most recently the CEO of Foodbank Australia, reflects on leading a large warehouse-based national network. She highlights Foodbank Australia’s role during crises (bushfires, COVID-19, floods) and the importance of its annual Hunger Report, which in 2024, showed 3.4 million households face food insecurity. Brianna discusses their advocacy for a National Food Donation Tax Incentive and broader systemic reforms, aiming for an “Australia without hunger.” She stresses the long-term value of data-driven advocacy and the global solidarity of food bankers — “once a food banker, always a food banker.”  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.

Food For Change: Soluciones para Servir a las Personas y al Planeta — Mariana Jiménez

Mariana Jiménez, directora de BAMX (la Red de Bancos de Alimentos de México), comparte cómo los bancos de alimentos en México están aplicando FRAME y siendo pioneros en financiamiento climático a través de créditos de carbono. Al cuantificar y monetizar sus emisiones evitadas, BAMX se ha convertido en la primera red nacional de bancos de alimentos en participar en el mercado de carbono. Ella enfatiza el doble impacto de los bancos de alimentos —reducir el hambre y mitigar el cambio climático— y la importancia de escalar la logística, los almacenes y la capacidad de la cadena de frío para rescatar más alimentos nutritivos.

Methane, Carbon and the Food-Climate Connection

In episode two of Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet, find out why cutting methane emissions is a critical “emergency brake” for climate change and our food systems — and how data from food banks can help.   Carolina Urmeneta [https://www.globalmethanehub.org/team/carolina-urmeneta/], director of waste and circular economy for the Global Methane Hub explains why cutting methane is a critical “emergency brake” for climate change, since it is far more potent than CO₂ but shorter-lived. She highlights how food loss and waste drives methane emissions in landfills, and how prevention, food recovery, and donation can deliver rapid climate and community benefits. She also discusses the FRAME methodology [https://www.foodbanking.org/resources/frame-methodology/], a new tool developed with GFN to measure the methane reduction impact of food banks and inform policy, investment and climate action.   Mariana Jimenez [https://es.linkedin.com/posts/redbamx_mariana-jim%C3%A9nez-directora-general-de-la-activity-7139033751245729792-kCVN], director of BAMX (the Mexican Food Banking Network), shares how food banks in Mexico are applying FRAME and pioneering climate finance through carbon credits. By quantifying and monetizing their avoided emissions, BAMX has become the first national food bank network to participate in the carbon market. She emphasizes the dual impact of food banking — reducing hunger and mitigating climate change — and the importance of scaling logistics, warehouses and cold chain capacity to recover more nutritious food.   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.