6.10.2022. 7 pm IST
Part 3
We at FOOD BANK FOR THE POOR, SANGOLDA, GOA, are appalled that 5000 kgs of fresh edible food is thrown in bins across Goa, due to the apathy of the Food & Drugs Administration (FDA), Goa, the poor go to bed hungry while edible food is binned thereby increasing the wet garbage .
On 18th April, 2022, we wrote to Hon. CM of Goa about redirecting this excess food to Food Bank for the Poor, Sangolda. He promptly forwarded this letter to the FSSAI Director on 27th April, 2022.
A letter dated 31st May, 2022, from the Director, FSSAI BAMBOLIM , copied to me and marked to 5 corporate/ relevant Association , informs them that FSSAI has launched the SAVE FOOD SHARE FOOD initiative to promote food donation.
Attached here.
Did the FSSAI received a response from the 5 corporate/ associations? NO
If no response is forthcoming, did they follow it up with a reminder / phone call? NO
Did the FSSAI make any tangible efforts to ensure food donation is happening? NO
Is the FSSAI really interested in food donation or is this letter just an eyewash? Obviously you know the answer.
On one hand in Goa we have 5000kgs of edible nutritious food being binned while on the other hand are mothers and fathers who are unable to provide their children with 1 nourishing meal daily.
( I am talking 1st 5000 kgs but its daily more than 10000 kgs of good extra food being wasted daily in Goa .)
Why you ask?
Well I also ask the Director, FSSAI this same question.
Why this apathy when you promised us the following in April, 2022
☆ 1. Two officers / staff would be deputed in both districts to go around meeting and explaining this initiative.
☆ 2. All those from the food industry especially where bulk food is being wasted would be called together for a talk and they would be explained the initiative.
This initiative was set up BY FSSAI to save food from being thrown in the garbage .
This Department has a website that proclaims saving of edible food and sharing with the needy.
Hence, it is your job to make the SAVE FOOD SHARE FOOD programme on paper a reality for the hungry , the impoverished and the malnourished.
All Schemes / initiative/ ideas are well coordinated on paper, meeting are held and NGO's called to attend.
But does any if this translate into edible nourishing food in the bellies of the poor?
The ground reality is that nobody cares about the poor, neglected, people with disabilites , street people, etc.
Here is an idea of how food collection is done by us daily on a small scale last 5 years non stop
Excel sheet also attached of this calculation.
1. Our vehicle visits 3 institutions daily between. 2.30 to 4.30 pm with one driver .
2. Total collected from these 3 institutions is an average of 100 kgs to 150 kgs of food.
3. 75 % of the food enough to feed 50 families is distributed in that area and the rest is brought to the Food Bank base.
4. In a month we collect 3750 kgs of food in this 1 trip which provides close to 11250 meals . This operation costs us
Rs. 45, 000 a month approx
If we multiply this by 33 such teams :
( 33 teams means 3 institutions per team )
So 33 teams x 3 institutions x 50 kgs food daily = 4950 kgs daily
Per month 4950 kgs food x 25 days = 1,23 750 kgs. ( 1 kg food is enough for 3 meals)
Monthly a total of 1,23,750 kgs can be collected to feed 371250 meals at the cost of Rs 15 Lakh rupees.
But the benefits far out way this cost as :
☆ 1. 200 persons will be employed as each team requires 6 people to work together i.e.
▪︎1 driver to collect the food
▪︎1 kitchen helper to manage the kitchen
▪︎4 volunteers to serve this food ahead .
☆ 2. Wet garbage will be reduced by 1,23,750 kgs every month.
☆ 3. Minimum salary needs to be paid as 5 hours if work is required daily, 25 days of every month
Food Bank for the Poor, Sangolda has been collecting and redistributing food in a big way based on our budget through donations since the last 5 years.
But our desire is to save every grain of food from finding it's way into the bin.
To the powers that be at FSSAI BAMBOLIM, FOOD BANK FOR THE POOR SANGOLDA is the only NGO who will work to collect excess food and prevent this mammoth wastage.
FSSAI please implement the initiative to SAVE FOOD , SHARE FOOD .
And request institutions to pay for the services as we can't afford to collect all this food free and distribute it free
Everyone thinks NGOs are making money .
But look at :
No of jobs being created
Tons of food being saved monthly
More than 1/4 of a million meals fed monthly
And the environment being saved.
And what I write here and attached in the poster is and has been explained to the FSSAI Officials at BAMBOLIM .
So why should all this food be wasted ?
Why is FSSAI not attempting to introduce their own INNIATITVE which is on their web site ?
Why should poor people go to sleep hungry ?
Why should the wet garbage dumps go on piling up .
Please check the actual cost of treating
123750 kgs of wet garbage In a month in a garbage plant ?
And then see the projection costs that we are ready to save this food from reaching the garbage dumps.
Where there is a will, there is a way
See the work , the tons of food being saved, the no. of meals being served, the environment being saved and the saving to the government by tons of wet waste not reaching the garbage dumps.
Rest I leave the FSSAI Director and her team to decide the next course of action.
To be continued Part 4.
God bless you
Donald Fernandes
8380097564 / 7020314848
