The geopolitical tensions all around the world have marked the 2024 context. War in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, and climatic disasters continued to create hunger, poverty, migrations and an increasing number of victims. The election in November 2024 of a new US President has added more uncertainty for the future.
As reported by the World Bank, 733 million people suffered from malnutrition in 2023, an increase of 152 million since 2019, and all the factors impacting food insecurity have worsened the situation in 2024. While those figures focus on developing nations, the rise in food hardship extends into developed countries as well. According to Eurostat, 9.5% of the EU 27 population were not capable of accessing a proper meal a day in 2023 compared to 8.3% in 2022.
Over the same period, the share of Europeans at risk of poverty climbed from 19.7 percent to 22.3 percent, signalling a tightening squeeze on household budgets. Eurostat reported that food inflation reached an average of 19% in 2023, with sharper spikes in some FEBA member countries. Even if 2024 food inflation has been moderate at an average of 2%, the persistently high price of food has contributed to a high level of demand for food aid.
Against this backdrop, Food Banks are confronting a perfect storm: rising needs, dwindling in-kind donations and the necessity of market purchases to bridge widening resource gaps. Securing financial contributions and fundraising campaigns has become indispensable to our mission.
In 2024, in preparation for a new mandate, the European Commission launched a Strategic Dialogue on the future of agriculture» to which FEBA has been invited to participate, in the person of Jacques Vandenschrik. The final report released in September 2024 gave room to the concerns and proposals of the Food Banks movement, and this dialogue will continue in 2025 within the European Board on Agriculture and Food. It is crucial for Active engagement at both EU and national levels is essential to shape an agricultural framework that delivers safe, sustainable and affordable food for all. This commitment drives the nearly 100,000 volunteers who embody our shared values and propel our work forward.
Bernard Valluis, FEBA President
