Discounters reduce donations for food banks
Discounters are using artificial intelligence to ensure that goods are purchased more accurately. The food banks in NRW are currently feeling the effects of this. The volume of donations for the needy is falling noticeably. Social Affairs Minister Laumann wants to help.
The food banks in North Rhine-Westphalia are increasingly complaining about the lack of food donations from supermarkets and discounters. "There is too little food for too many people in need," said Petra Jung, deputy chairwoman of Tafel NRW e.V., to the Düsseldorf newspaper "Rheinische Post". Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the number of food bank customers has almost doubled from 350,000 to more than 600,000. At the same time, according to Jung, supermarkets and discounters have cut back on their donations.
"Food markets are now calculating more accurately and selling reduced goods before the best-before date. There is a shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables in particular," added the volunteer deputy head of the food banks. A number of distribution points have already had to stop accepting new customers and have waiting lists.
Retailers confirm this trend. According to the German Food Retail Association (BVLH), companies are increasingly able to adapt their orders to customer behavior by using artificial intelligence. According to the association, this will make it possible to further reduce the proportion of goods that cannot be sold. "There is less food that can be donated," said a spokeswoman for the NRW trade association.
Laumann promises support from the state
NRW Social Affairs Minister Karl-Josef Laumann wants to continue to support the work of the food banks financially. "The food banks are an important help for many people," the CDU politician told the newspaper. "My aim is to make the funding permanent. We are therefore currently examining the extent to which this can be implemented in the medium and long term." NRW is the only federal state to fund the work of the food banks with 1.6 million euros in the coming year alone.
In the past, the state has also supported the food bank logistics centers and provided compensation of 1.3 million euros for the increased energy and food prices. Now, after the conclusion of the fifth regional conference today, Monday, the state wants to approach the associations and large retail companies once again in order to improve the donation situation.
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Despite the increasing use of artificial intelligence by discounters for more accurate sales, leading to a decrease in donated food items, the situation has become dire for food banks in North Rhine-Westphalia. The rising inflation and the war in Ukraine have resulted in a near-doubling of food bank customers to over 600,000. To address this issue, NRW Social Affairs Minister Karl-Josef Laumann has pledged ongoing financial support for the food banks and is exploring long-term funding options.
Source: www.ntv.de
