Bancos de alimentos. Un modelo que funciona mundialmente en la lucha contra el hambre

Lack of regular access to nutritious and sufficient food is increasing in the world. Paradoxically, the same is true for food losses and waste (FLW) throughout the supply chain. This has reinforced food recovery and redistribution practices which are spreading worldwide as solutions to promote the right to food and reduce FLW. Food banks (FB) models are one of them. They are non-profit organizations that operate through the spirit of solidarity, obtaining surplus food to be donated to the most disadvantaged through charitable associations. They carry out their mission by receiving surplus food from the agricultural, industrial, commercial sector, hotels, restaurants and / or natural persons, for its proper distribution among organized vulnerable population. This paper reviews various aspects of the FB, its distribution throughout all continents, the way they operate, their contribution to society, their connection with private, public and consumer sectors. While in almost all of Latin America there are BdAs, this is not the case in Venezuela, therefore, the precarious economic and productive situation of the country to create a BdA is also discussed.