Give birth to food banks! Housewives' Union: Learning from Japan's experience

Legislators from both parties promoted the creation of a "food bank", and non-governmental social welfare groups responded positively. We hope to work with national convenience store chains and large-scale retail outlets to help people in need avoid the pain of hunger. The Housewives' Union called on the government to refer to Japan's 311 disaster relief experience and provide basic food and daily necessities through the "food bank" disaster relief mechanism to help the economically disadvantaged and those in urgent need of emergency assistance to solve their urgent needs.

Lu Hsiu-luan, secretary-general of the Housewives' Union, who recently returned to Taiwan from a study trip to Kyoto, Japan, pointed out that the Japanese experienced the 311 tsunami disaster, but fortunately they were able to get a respite thanks to the "Food Education Law" disaster relief mechanism, which used chain convenience stores, the Internet, or large-scale distribution channels as rescue bases or information platforms to provide people in need with effective and substantial resources.

In response to soaring domestic prices, shrinking purse strings and the survival crisis faced by low-income households, Kuomintang legislator Lin Yu-fang, Democratic Progressive Party member Lin Chia-lung, and other cross-party legislators such as the New Party are planning to add a "food bank" bill to the Social Welfare Act. The bill will be coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior and implemented in cooperation with local governments to ensure that people in need receive immediate and effective assistance.

Legislator Lin Chia-lung pointed out that more than 20 countries around the world have established national food banks, and Taiwan will sooner or later develop into this field, so he proposed amendments to the Social Assistance Act in the Legislative Yuan to seek a legal basis for "food banks" and establish a joint partnership between the government and the private sector.

The founding spirit of the "Food Bank" is to allow excess food in people's homes to be given to those in need through food banks; materials from businesses and hypermarkets that do not look good or are about to expire do not have to be discarded or returned to manufacturers, but can be transferred to vulnerable groups such as shelters, after-school tutoring groups, etc. through food banks.

Commissioner Lin Yufang also believes that Taiwan wastes approximately NT$25.8 billion in food each year. If these food resources are used effectively, 110,000 low-income households across the country can be saved from hunger. If Taiwan can establish a national "food bank" and set up branches in various places, the food relief resources of various counties and cities can support each other and complement each other. In addition, Taiwan is a place where natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes are intensively reported, and the food bank can also immediately provide supplies to disaster victims and rescue workers.

In recent years, Taiwan's agricultural products, such as vegetables and fruits, have often seen their prices plummet due to overproduction, causing farmers to lose all their money. If there is a food bank, the Agriculture and Food Agency can adjust seasonal production capacity and send inventory or surplus agricultural products to the food bank, so that the recipients are not limited to eating canned food, noodles and other dry foods, but can also enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables and meat. On the other hand, it can balance supply and demand and avoid fluctuations in agricultural product prices.