“In October every year is World Food Day, when the entire world organises events to raise awareness of reducing food waste among all people, and to address hunger problems around the world,” explains Sawaeng ‘Jack’ Kaola, SOS Thailand Regional Business Manager.
Scholars of Sustenance Foundation, founded in 2016, is the first food rescue organisation in Thailand, he notes.
“Our goal is to assist the nation’s food-expansion system in reducing waste and creating a decent balance for those who are lacking by daily distributing high-quality food waste from industries including hotels, restaurants, convenience stores and others to the underprivileged in Bangkok, Phuket, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, and other areas in Thailand.
“This year, the Scholars of Sustenance Foundation Thailand, Phuket branch, and allies aim to organise World Food Day on Monday, October 9, 2023, by donating food boxes (halal) including 20,000 meals, including water, milk, snacks, and more, to all of Phuket’s districts,” Jack explains.
The massive effort to help provide food relief to impoversihed areas across Phuket is being conducted in association with district offices, local municipalities and subdistrict administrative organisations, as well as local volunteers, social development and human security volunteers (SDHSV), village health centre volunteers and the Phuket Provincial Social Development and Human Society Office.
Also joining the efforts since last month are hundreds of hotels across the island, all in the name of helping the poor and to take steps towards the United Nations’ sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ‘zero food waste’ across Phuket.
“Over the past four years, the SOS Foundation and associations have been distributing food in this way each year to help the vulnerable and those who are still struggling at the least with the rising cost of living,” explains Jack.
“As you are all aware, Phuket is solely dependent on tourism, hence we require more visitors. If there are no tourists, we will struggle and there will be more unemployed people, and the cost of living will rise.
“The World Food Day event demonstrates our ability to assist people of all religions, colours, nationalities, ages and genders. Every sector helps everyone. We think that the World Food Day event will demonstrate to the world that we care about everyone, leave no one behind, and are committed to Phuket’s sustainability,” he adds
HOTELS JOIN IN
At a meeting chaired by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew last month, Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, Advisor to Phuket Chamber of Commerce, announced that a digital platform for collecting data on food waste and excess food in Phuket will be developed.
Mr Bhummikitti, described as President of the Sustainable Tourism Development Foundation (มูลนิธิพัฒนาการท่องเที่ยวยั่งยืน), pointed out that the ‘Participatory Food Waste Management Model’ pilot project was already underway.
The project focuses on reducing the volume of food waste and individual and organisational planning for purchasing food and produce, but still aiming to provide the right amount of food and to see people consuming the right amount of food, while changing consumers’ behaviour as well.
‘Food management centres’ will be set up in each of Phuket’s three districts: Mueang District (Phuket Town, Wichit, Chalong, Rawai, Kata, Karon); Thalang District (covering the centre and north of the island); and Kathu (including Patong and Kamala), Mr Bummikitti explained.
THREE TYPES
SOS Thailand recognises three distinctly different types of food donations: fresh food, food surplus and food waste.
‘Fresh food’ is food that is freshly prepared, ready to eat, of quality that can be sold, and both safe and in quality that consumers need. It can also be stored for a while too, the food rescue organisation explains.
‘Food Surplus’ is food that is still safe for consumption but it may have changed in quality, and does not meet the needs of consumers or cannot be sold. Food surplus can therefore be donated to people in need to maximise its benefits.
‘Food waste’ occurs when we cannot manage food surplus. “It’s food that is not safe for consumption and can’t be donated if left unattended, which could become a pollutant to the environment. Therefore, it should be managed by making fertiliser for maximum benefit, SOS Thailand explains
These are the differences between the 3 types of food, which we can choose to manage them for maximum benefit. On the other hand, SOS has allocated a large amount of surplus food to benefit people. Whether it is directly delivering food to communities in need, or re-cooking some surplus food to revive the food and improve its taste and pass on to the community.
LEND A HAND
“Food waste will be brought from hotels participating in the project to be provided to people in need at reasonable prices but with quality,” he said.
The move followed the Phuket Tourist Association, with its 281 members, joining the food rescue efforts in July, and the Phuket Hotels Association, with more than 91 members comprising small boutique hotels to large international chains, in June signing a Memorandum of Understanding with SOS Thailand to collaborate on a variety of projects including the distribution of food donated by hotels to those in need in the community.
For participation, support or to organise a donation for SOS Thailand’s food relief project for World Food Day, contact 081-9508711 (Jack), 095-4161955 (James) or 087-5657259 (Pang). For more information about SOS Thailand visit www.scholarsofsustenance.org, Facebook: SOSFoundationThai or email info@scholarsofsustenance.org