From warehouses to platforms: Reinventing foodbanks through the lens of the digital economy

The current model of food distribution seems to be failing: while a fifth of food goes to waste about 25% of families are suffering from food insecurity. Hunger and waste are the two sides of the food paradox.1 The environmental costs of such a prominent mismatch are notorious, since global food waste generates 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. This contradiction led to the birth of modern foodbanks back in the 1960s. For more than six decades foodbanks have been relevant actors in avoiding hunger and waste, redistributing surplus food and conveniently solving this so-called market failure. However, their current model is still far from efficient and sufficient.