New data from The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) shows how food banks have stepped up as crucial safety nets in the wake of development aid cuts and shocks to the food system.
JULY 28, 2026 – Amidst near-constant shocks to our food systems, from conflict and geopolitical crises to disasters and food price spikes, food banks have increasingly become a pillar for community resilience.
New data from The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) shows that member food banks served approximately 40.5 million people experiencing hunger across 47 countries in 2025 – an increase of 2.5 million people compared with 2024. The rise reflects growing demand as communities continue to face the impacts of food system shocks alongside sudden reductions in official development assistance. In response, local food banks have provided a vital lifeline, delivering nutritious food alongside wraparound social support to help people navigate difficult circumstances.
“Last year, dramatic and sudden reductions in official development assistance set off the most significant upheaval of humanitarian funding in decades,” said Lisa Moon, president and CEO of The Global FoodBanking Network. “Food banks — ever agile, responsive and resilient — continued to serve as safety nets around the world, connecting local communities to nutritious food, despite the challenges.”
Reducing waste and feeding people
Food banks recover nourishing food across the entire supply chain, preventing that food from going to landfills while also providing food to people facing hunger – increasing national resilience.
In 2025, food banks prevented approximately 534 million kilograms of food from going to waste, stopping an estimated 2 million metric tons of CO2e from entering the atmosphere. That’s roughly the same environmental impact of pulling 473,000 vehicles off the road for a year.
Agricultural recovery, the practice of partnering with farmers and packhouses to rescue wholesome surplus, unsellable, or slightly imperfect crops that would otherwise go to waste, is a major contributor to the success of food banks. Supported by GFN’s Agricultural Recovery Hub, in 2025, food banking organizations:
The evolution of agile food banking
In this resource-constrained environment food banks are increasingly relying on innovative supply chain models to reach their communities quickly and effectively, meaning life-saving supplies can still be provided to people without the need for complex infrastructure. One way they are achieving this is through virtual food banking.
Virtual food banking or “direct collection” allows people with surplus food to provide it directly to community agencies that distribute food, usually with the aid of technology. In 2025, 27 food banks in the GFN network operated virtual food banking programs.
These models are both low cost and low infrastructure, offering dynamic alternatives that reduce operational costs, bypass logistical bottlenecks and maximize local food recovery – stretching limited funding further.
