Food bank set up to help reduce waste

Li Lirong opened the iShenzhen mobile app, browsed the list of groceries available for booking that day, selected two bottles of milk and pressed the OK button on the screen. A moment later, she picked up the milk, which was free of charge, from a nearby dispensing machine.

The sanitation worker in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, has been enjoying free groceries for several months. Sometimes she chooses vegetables, and sometimes fruit or dairy products.

"It's really warming," Li said. "Although it is a small act by the government, it shows great love."

Shenzhen's Futian district has launched the "Futian food bank "public welfare program which encourages enterprises dealing with food business to donate produce that is surplus or about to expire. The aim is to reduce food waste and help people in need.

People can choose the items, including meat, vegetables, fruit, bread and drinks, on the iShenzhen app with their mobile phones and collect them from six machines around the district.

The service is currently open to people with low incomes, such as sanitation and gardening workers, and people with special needs, such as childless elderly people.

A total of 4,220 people have benefited from the service since it was launched at the end of May. More than 18,200 items have been donated so far, saving about eight metric tons of food and cutting 16 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

"In order to create a long-term mechanism for saving food and reducing waste in Futian, we set up the 'food bank' platform," said Tang Yuhong, head of Futian district civil affairs bureau.

"By reducing the source of food waste and increasing care for residents, we hope to give tangible help to people working and living in the district."

Tang said the bureau will work to get more businesses and people involved in the program to help prevent food waste.

Hema Fresh, a retail unit of e-commerce giant Alibaba, is one of the 11 businesses taking part in the program, and it has donated over 3,600 items so far.

Shang Jun, the company's operating director in Shenzhen, said Hema Fresh is involved because it wants "to play a leading role in encouraging society to become more resource-saving".

Other online grocery platforms such as Meituan and Dingdong Maicai are also taking part.

Futian district plans to increase the number of dispensing machines to 10 by the end of this year. It also plans to expand the number of qualified recipients from the current groups of people to the general public.

Through the program, the district aims to save 70 tons of food, reduce 140 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and benefit 140,000 residents each year.

sally@chinadailyhk.com