Food Aid and the Emergency

Food System in Greece

January 13, 2017

Public Report June 2017

Primary Project Team

Laura Lawson, PhD (Rutgers University), Director of Research Professor and Dean, Office of Agriculture and Urban Programs Virginia Quick, PhD, RD (Rutgers University), Project Manager Assistant Research Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences Meredith Taylor, MA, MPH (Rutgers University) Research Associate, Office of Agriculture and Urban Programs Maria Kapsokefalou, PhD (Agricultural University of Athens) Professor of Nutrition and Deputy Rector Panagiotis Kotsios, PhD (American Farm School of Thessaloniki) Lecturer and Researcher Salome Rao, PhD (Rutgers University), Greek Liaison Assistant Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences Ethan Schoolman (Rutgers University) Assistant Professor, Department of Human Ecology Rutgers Advisory Team

Robert M. Goodman, PhD Executive Dean, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, PhD, RD Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Nutritional Sciences Cara Cuite, PhD Associate Research Professor, Department of Human Ecology Nurgul Fitzgerald, PhD, RD Extension Specialist in Health Promotion and Behavior Kenneth Karamichael, ED.M Director, Rutgers NJAES Office of Continuing Professional Education Lucas Marxen, MS Assistant Director of Research and Technology Brian Schilling, PhD Assistant Extension Specialist, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics

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Table of Contents

I. Introduction – Food Aid and Emergency Food Security Systems in Greece ........................... 3

The Changing Context of Food Aid in Greece ............................................................................. 3

Framing Food Aid ....................................................................................................................... 4

Who Is Involved in Providing Food Aid .................................................................................... 5

What Types of Aid Are Available ............................................................................................ 7

Where Do Interventions Occur ............................................................................................. 12

Pulling It All Together ........................................................................................................... 13

Additional Considerations .................................................................................................... 14

II. Current Snapshot of Food Aid in Greece ........................................................................... 18

Direct Production ...................................................................................................................... 20

Commercial Agriculture

Urban Agriculture (Boroume’s Urban Farm Pilot)

Food Reclamation ...................................................................................................................... 22

Food Bank

Boroume

AB Vassilopoulos Supermarket

Direct Food Aid .......................................................................................................................... 26

Government Program – Fund for the European Aid of the Most Deprived (FEAD)

School Meals – Food Provision Programs for Children in Schools

Consumer Choice ...................................................................................................................... 32

III. Recommendations for a Sustainable Food Aid System ..................................................... 34

Strengthen the Food Aid Community……………………….………………………………………………………….34

Production Opportunities Linked to Food Aid………………………………………………………………………36

Food Reclamation throughout Greece ……………………………..…………………………………………………37

Scaling Up Direct Aid ………………….……………………………………………………………………………………….38

Engage Those Being Served …………………………………………………………………………………………………39

Next Steps .………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….42

Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 43

Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 45

Appendix A. Semi-structured Interview Questions ................................................................... 45

Appendix B. Greece Interviews and Site-Visits ......................................................................... 47

Appendix C. Map of Case Study sites ……………………………………………………………………………………50

Appendix D. List of Attendees at Rutgers Greek Food Aid/Food Security Workshop .............. 51

Appendix E. List of Tours and Meetings During the Week of the Workshop .......................... 52

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I. Introduction – Food Aid and Emergency Food Security Systems in Greece

The Changing Context of Food Aid in Greece

Dramatic changes in perceptions of food security and the need for food aid in Greece are occurring due

to the current economic crisis. Increasing pressure on the existing emergency food systems is part of

larger social and health consequences associated with recent austerity measures of the 2010 and 2012

MOU and loan agreements (Sotiropoulos and Bourikos, 2014). With decline in per capita income – a

decline from 17,374 euro to 12,354 euro between 2008 and 2013 – middle-class and lower-income

families are experiencing dramatic cuts in living standards (Sotiropoulos and Bourikos, 2014; Trading

Economics, 2016). In addition, increased unemployment has resulted in nearly one-third of the

population being at risk of poverty or social exclusion, with almost 19 percent of those persons

considered extremely poor or materially deprived (Sotiropoulos and Bourikos, 2014). A “mass and

violent pauperization” of the middle class has left the previously assumed social safety net shredded and

unsustainable (Roussos, 2015). In this context, many Greeks are food insecure, meaning that they do

not have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. Limited research available

has revealed that of 16,000 Greek families surveyed, over half (53.1 percent) suffer from food insecurity

without hunger and 21 percent experience food insecurity with hunger (as reported by Prolepsis, one of

the interviewed Greek organizations). Additionally, in 2014, UNICEF released a report highlighting the

alarming rates of child poverty and malnutrition in Greece (UNICEF, 2014).

Greece is not alone in its need to address food insecurity, which is a global concern. Emergency food

aid, particularly when official government programs have limited ability to intervene, typically involves a

multi-pronged approach that engages philanthropies, non-governmental organizations, religious

organizations, and individuals. Findings from a recent philanthropic landscape assessment for food and

agriculture conducted by the Meridian Institute affirms that food security is an important concern for

many donors in the upcoming 5 to 10 years (Meridiean Institute, 2015). Additionally, donors have

highlighted the need to look more holistically at nutrition and public health as it relates to food systems,

given the important interrelationships with other critical issues such as improving access to healthy and

nutritious foods and supporting small producers.

As the economic crisis has unfolded, Greek individuals and organizations have stepped in to shoulder

much of the responsibility for the provision of medical care, food, shelter, education, and other social

services, as well as special needs of the disabled, elderly, and very young children (Roussos, 2015). With

very limited government financing to carry out this work, these groups (registered NGOs and informal

organizations) have looked to the private sector for funding, and Greece’s largest philanthropic firms,

including the Niarchos, Bodossakis, Onassis and Latsis Foundations, have answered the call. In

particular, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) has sought to alleviate some of the adverse effects of

the deepening crisis through its three-year, 100 million euro “Initiative Against the Greek Crisis.” These

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funds are allocated to non-profit organizations working to provide critical relief, including food aid, to

thousands of people. Some of the major and novel programs that have been implemented include the

Food Aid and Promotion of Healthy Nutrition (Prolepsis), Mobile Medical Units, and Social Housing and

Day Care Centers (SOS Villages and Praksis) programs (Stavros Niarchos Foundation, 2015). These

programs have introduced new and more effective nutritional, medical, and social service models

throughout Greece.

Framing Food Aid

The purpose of this study is to investigate various aspects of food aid in Greece, with the goal of

identifying opportunities to improve food aid and security strategies overall. This study was not

intended to identify people in need or gather quantifiable data on impact; rather, it looks at the food aid

system as a whole in order to understand the types of assistance available and how it is distributed and

received. The research team acknowledges that, as primarily non-Greeks, our perspective is largely that

of informed outsiders. Ultimately, the richest data and recommendations that result will come from a

participatory process that engages food aid stakeholders in a full analysis of the report findings and

dialogue regarding the next steps.

Figure 1 below outlines the research process. The team developed for a multi-method approach –

research, interviews, site visits, workshop sessions, and comparative case studies. Support information

about the process is provided as appendices.

Figure 1. Flow Chart of Research Study Design

The research strategy was guided by important a priori research questions:

How have Greek governmental and non-governmental organizations responded to the food aid

crisis in Greece?

What are the most effective approaches to food aid?

What is the role and/or potential of networking/collaboration?

Given the hypothesis that Greek food aid will be required for the long term, what improvements

can be implemented to assure more efficient and equitable aid?

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Examining these questions raises the basic need to define the who, what, and where of food aid.

Who is currently involved in providing food aid?

The first step involves understanding the organizations and people involved in

providing food aid – where they are positioned in society, what type of aid they

provide, and how they reach intended audiences. This leads to analysis of the

capacity of different providers (Figure 2).

Producers

If long term food aid programs are to be sustained, Greece will

have to address the issue from the supply side. Given a proper

policy framework, Greek farmers could play a significant role in

reducing hunger and improving household food security. In

addition to commercial agriculture opportunities, non-profit

organizations and individual households can become producers

as well. Familial and personal connections with agriculture may enable farm

produce to reach non-farming households. Gardening and urban agriculture are

ways that individuals and families can be producers.

Engaging industry and food processors more deeply is also an avenue of

opportunity. Currently, the food industry provides donations of food items close to

expiration. Yet there is more capacity – particularly in processing – to develop, package, and distribute

products specifically for emergency food aid, particularly large-scale opportunities like school lunch and

institutional meal programs.

Institutions and Organizations

The food aid environment consists of many different organizations working at

varying scales. Prior to the emergency, the primary providers of food aid were

the church and municipalities and efforts were focused principally on service to

homeless, people struggling with substance abuse, and other vulnerable groups.

Churches and municipalities have continued to fill vital roles in food provision as

demand has increased. Since the crisis, the central government has sought to

establish food aid programs, often funded through the European Union (EU) and, therefore, held to EU

regulations. For instance, the Ministry of Social Solidarity has received support through the EU Fund for

European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), which has strict requirements that determine to whom and

how food is provided. Although these programs have been helpful in preventing starvation, the

resources received through EU-funded initiatives are limited in their reach – leaving many completely

unserved and others without sufficient quantity and quality of food to maintain good health.

Official non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have stepped in to fill the need for food aid, either as

sole purpose or as an added service to a targeted clientele. NGOs, such as food banks, serve a central

Figure 2. Diagram of Sectors

Involved in Food Aid System

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role bridging producers to institutions in need. Other NGOs, such as programs serving children, have

expanded to provide food pantries and other food-related resources in addition to previous programs.

Unregistered organizations, solidarity groups, and individuals without official status have done inspiring

work to provide assistance to people unable to get help through government programs. They provide

services to thousands of people each day who would have nowhere else to go for help. Often seeking to

remain highly democratic and less hierarchical, these groups receive no aid from the government or the

EU and are restrained by their own internal resource capacity (volunteers, funding, etc.).

Philanthropic organizations are significant actors in framing food aid as well. Food aid organizations

often rely on philanthropic groups to support new efforts, such as the pilot school snack program, or

provide funds to purchase needed supplies (refrigeration, trucks, computers, etc.). Attending to the

sustainability of such investments, philanthropic groups are also effective at strategically framing areas

of social concern, such as food aid, and then assisting in networking and strategic planning.

Consumers

Although there is substantial evidence of need – longer lines at soup kitchens,

increasing requests at service providers, children fainting from hunger in school –

there is little existing quantitative data on the food insecure in Greece. To date,

Greece does not track important information about lifecycle needs at a national

level. The short timeframe of this research project made obtaining advanced IRB

(Internal Review Board) approval impossible. Therefore, our primary research

methods were limited to information that could be obtained from individuals in their capacities as paid

workers or volunteers.

Through our interviews, we learned that some programs, particularly those operated through the

churches, have a fairly sophisticated intake process. Individuals may be required to supply a lot of

personal information, including tax records, to determine their eligibility to receive assistance. Changes

in circumstances, such as loss of a job or housing, are generally reported so that people can get

additional assistance, if possible. Home visits may also be done when additional assistance is requested.

To date, there is almost no sharing of information and data among food aid and solidarity groups. Thus,

statistics reported and impressions of need can vary greatly depending on recordkeeping and analysis of

the information collected. This team believes there would be significant value in the development and

distribution of a survey instrument to track information over time regarding the nature of household

food insecurity.

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What types of food aid are available?

Acknowledging that food aid is distributed

through varied approaches, we need to

understand the typology (types) of food aid to

better understand and analyze the challenges

faced and synergistic opportunities between

them. The types we have identified are based

on the literature – U.S. and international – and

practical observations (Figure 3). In our analysis

we grouped the types of food aid distribution

channels into the following four categories:

Direct Production

Food Reclamation

Direct Aid

Consumer Choice

Direct Production

Growing and producing food is one way to increase supply and create direct connections

between producer and consumer. Variety, nutrition, portion size, cultural appropriateness

and other concerns can be addressed through control of what is grown and produced for

food aid.

Currently, Greece does not have a developed market for surplus agricultural commodities similar to the

United States’ provision of foods for the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs. Some possible

approaches include engaging farmers through contracts – farmers selling produce to be used in food aid

– or through donations, such as gleaning. Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops from fields after

they have been commercially harvested or fields where it is not economically profitable to harvest.

America’s Grow-a-Row illustrates a non-profit program that grows and donates fresh produce on their

own farms and through gleaning at partner farms, largely through the support of volunteers

(http://www.americasgrowarow.org).

In addition to rural agriculture, urban agriculture engages individuals and charitable organizations in

food production through collective farms, allotments, and community gardens. Urban food production

has been an approach frequently used to help individuals and families meet their household food needs

during times of economic hardship, food shortages, or rationing. The tradition of European allotment

gardens dates back to the 1800s and served as a means to provide land for food production to laborers

in cities, villages, and countryside. In the United States and Europe during World War I and II, civilians

planted victory gardens during periods of food rationing to increase supply and demonstrate patriotism

and national pride. In the 1970s, the community garden movement enabled stronger neighborhood

ties, reduced the amount of money spent outside the home for food, and improved diet quality by

Figure 3: Types of Food Aid

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providing easy access to fresh, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods. In these circumstances,

urban agriculture is experienced as an empowering activity, allowing individuals to exercise more

control over their physical environment, personal health, and finances.

Food Reclamation

Amid increasing concern about hunger and food insecurity, as well as exploding rates of

food waste, innovative food reclamation initiatives seek to solve both problems with one

creative solution. Food reclamation, or food rescue, seeks to reduce good waste through

the redistribution of prepared and unsaleable foods to charitable organizations that feed

the poor. Food reclamation often involves bridging organizations that connect industries

and groceries with social serving institutions. As a result, such organizations must satisfy

the needs of both industry and recipient organizations by developing models beneficial to both parties.

Organizations engaged in these activities typically reclaim food in one of the following ways:

1. In the field: Although not widely practiced in Greece, gleaning allows for the harvesting of a

second or third crop from farm fields after commercial harvesting has occurred. Organized

gleaning is frequently initiated by the farmer when significant amounts of food, still perfect for

consumption, will be left to rot in the field or plowed under for a total loss. There are successful

and efficient gleaning networks that bring people and farmers together in support of emergency

food aid. After collection, most gleaned food is distributed to food banks, soup kitchens, and

food pantries.

2. In the warehouse: Typically, the largest amounts of fresh and non-perishable foods are

reclaimed from the warehouses of supermarkets, wholesale distributors and suppliers, and

other large food industry operations. In the United States, the Feeding America food banking

network has extremely close ties to the food industry. Food items aggregated from warehouse

shelves include those close to expiration, overstock of seasonal items, boxes and cans with

misprinted labels or other cosmetic defects that make them unsaleable in retail stores. Across

the United States, tens of millions of pounds of food, that would otherwise be discarded, is

redirected and distributed as food aid. We found the same to be true in Greece. Both the

Athens and Thessaloniki food banks, along with other food aid organizations, receive donations

from Greek supermarkets and the food industry. Much of it comes from warehouses and

grocery shelves, but there are also significant efforts to collect donations directly from

customers.

3. At the table: The final opportunity to recapture surplus foods exists with the end user, or

consumer. Many grassroots groups organize food reclamation activities at this level. Catering

halls, bakeries, restaurants, and cafeterias will often have large amounts of prepared food left

over each day and after special events. The leftover food is packed and picked up, or delivered

daily to organizations that feed people in need.

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Food Bank

Food banks are a central resource in the

food reclamation model. A food bank is

a non-profit organization that collects

and distributes food to charities

providing hunger relief. As shown in

Figure 4, food banks call on and engage

various sources in the food industry,

such as grocery stores and wholesalers

that have thousands of kilos of food that

would otherwise be thrown away. Food

banks also collect food donations from

individuals. They often rely on volunteer

support to carry out day-to-day

operations.

In Europe, the Federation of European

Food Banks (FEBA), is a non-profit

organization registered under French law that oversees an international network of food banks with 23

members. FEBA has a complicated and extensive regulatory structure through which participating food

banks must be certified. Although FEBA membership is not required to establish a food bank, there are

significant advantages for participating in this network. In 2014, FEBA member food banks distributed

2.25 million equivalent meals per day (411,000 tons of food) to 33,800 partner charitable organizations

that supported 5.9 million people ("Federation of European Food Banks," 2016).

There are many models for food banks. One example is FareShare UK, a national charity that works with

major food retailers, along with over 1900 charities and community groups, to redistribute surplus food

to those in need (FareShare UK, 2016; http://fareshare.org.uk/). Additionally, they have developed a

FareShare Food Efficiency Framework to help guide food businesses, identify surplus food, and

redistribute it to generate social environmental and economic benefits for the business and

communities in which they operate. In the United States, the Feeding America network is the largest

domestic hunger-relief organization, securing donations from national food and grocery manufacturers,

retailers, growers, packers, the government, and other agencies and coordinating the distribution of this

food to its network of 200 food banks and 60,000 pantries in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and

Puerto Rico (http://feedingamerica.org . Feeding America provides 4 billion meals annually to people in

need. Around one in seven Americans are served.

Critics of food banking, such as the academic Martin Caraher and food activists Mark Winnie and Nick

Saul, argue that food banks benefit all but the users themselves (Ronson and Caraher, 2016). Winnie

states, “we should seriously examine the role of food banking, which requires that we no longer praise

its growth as a sign of our generosity and charity, but instead recognize it as a symbol of our society’s

failure to hold government accountable for hunger, food insecurity and poverty” (Winnie, 2008). Food

manufacturers have food they need to dispose of and charitable welfare agencies have

Figure 4. Food Bank Model (http://www.eurofoodbank.org/food-banking/an-efficient-model)

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clients/beneficiaries that are in need of food aid (Booth and Whelan, 2014). Despite the underlying

structural causes of hunger, the food bank industry remains the dominant solution to food poverty in

most countries. However, there is little evidence to suggest that food banks are able to reduce food

insecurity and hunger in this manner. Thus, new approaches and partnerships with stakeholders are key

challenges for food banks to work more effectively at addressing food poverty (Booth and Whelan,

2014; Saul, 2013).

Some countries are investigating ways to tackle food insecurity, health, and poverty through their food

banks. The food bank of Western Australia has pioneered the integration of healthy lifestyle

considerations into core food bank business and is recognized as a leader in this area (Butcher et al.,

2014; http://healthyfoodforall.com.au). The primary aim of its Healthy Food for All (HFFA) program is to

supply food to those in need using a holistic approach that addresses nutrition and physical activity.

Since its inception in 2007, the HFFA initiative has demonstrated a positive impact on food security,

health, and well-being of participants (Butcher et al., 2014). This food bank, along with others that have

been successful, are good models to learn from and potentially adapt/implement elsewhere.

Direct Food Aid

Direct food aid provides food directly to those in need. A common manifestation of direct

food aid is the food pantry or social grocery, where individuals can come and receive

perishable and non-perishable food to take home. In some cases, individuals can select

the food they want, but in others it is pre-determined. Another type of direct food aid is

the congregate meal sites, such as a soup kitchen, where people wait in a queue and

receive prepared food they can eat on-site or carry home. Municipalities, churches, and NGOs may run

social groceries and soup kitchens and rely on food reclamation programs and other sources for the

foods provided and served.

School meals

School meals are another form of direct food aid. Given that most children spend hours each day at

school, the school environment is an ideal setting for initiatives to improve child dietary intake and

behaviors (CDC, 2011). School feeding programs help to reduce food insecurity and promote healthy

nutrition. Additionally, these programs are associated with improvements in students’ general health

status and academic performance, reduction in school dropout rates, and the ability to strengthen

communication and trust between educational stakeholders and the surrounding community (Belot and

James, 2011; Flodmark et al., 2006).

A Europe School Food and Nutrition workshop convened in 2014 gathered experts from 28 EU countries

to discuss ways to best build on current knowledge at maximizing schools’ potential both to educate and

ensure a healthier student and future population (Joint Research Centre, 2014). Potential areas for

intervention that were highlighted include the following: 1) local government participation (with

improved capacity to evaluate food insecurity), 2) creation of strong networks between local food

producers and schools, 3) improvement of nutritional quality of food assistance programs, 4) integration

of traditional diets as a sustainable and healthy dietary pattern in school curriculum and canteens, and

5) improvement of school staff workforce capacity to be involved in the solutions (Joint Research

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Centre, 2014). Findings from discussions of this workshop suggest the strong commitment from

European schools and the value added to providing healthier school food environments for children.

All public schools in the U.S. provide meal options that include purchasing options, reduced price, and

free lunch programs. In the U.S., there has been significant policy development around the issue of

healthy school meals. The National Farm to School Program and FoodCorps are examples of two

initiatives that advocate for the inclusion of more fresh locally grown ingredients in school menus and

provide resources and educational support to help children become more “food literate.” These

changes began at the grassroots level outside of large bureaucratic agencies like the United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) and have gradually been absorbed and woven into the policy fabric of

the national school lunch program.

Direct food aid can inspire new businesses to support food aid efforts. These businesses, for-profit or

non-profit, can fill much-needed niches in food production and processing, transportation, and delivery.

For instance, the U.S.-based firm Revolution Foods, legally organized as a “social benefit” corporation,

was founded by two mothers with an interest in transforming school meals

(http://revolutionfoods.com). The company focuses on providing access to healthy and affordable

meals. The company began as a program that served freshly prepared school meals to students.

However, challenges with infrastructure and labor costs demanded a shift to a “vended” meal.

Revolution Foods operates several culinary centers across the country. One site in Edison, New Jersey,

prepares 2 million meals per week for participating East Coast schools between Boston and Washington,

DC. None of their menu items contain any artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners, or high fructose corn

syrup. Revolution Foods’ key marketing points are the following:

Quality ingredients with emphasis on plant-based foods.

A supply chain that includes “the best national brands w/specialized local products.”

All meals meet or exceed nutrition standards set by USDA – Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act.

Meals are prepared by hand at culinary centers nationwide and delivered fresh daily.

Consumer Choice

In the consumer choice model, funds are provided through a debit card and people use

the card at participating markets/grocery stores to purchase food items of their choice.

An example of this is the electronic benefits transfer cards used by the U.S. Supplemental

Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) so that households can buy food at participating

grocery stores and some restaurants (https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-

nutrition-assistance-program-snap). There are some restrictions, such as no alcohol or

tobacco products may be purchased. Additionally, some participating farmers’ markets encourage

purchase of fresh produce through “bonus dollars” in the form of tokens or paper coupons for

purchases made with SNAP benefits. Another example is the World Food Program’s (WFP) e-voucher

system, which replaced its previous in-kind food assistance with a program of cash and voucher

transfers (http://www.wfp.org). In 2014, WFP used cash and voucher transfer modalities in 87 projects

across 59 countries worldwide. Advantages to such models include:

Fast, efficient and generally secure

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Reduces costs of transporting and storing food

Offers greater choice for beneficiary

Stimulates trade and benefits local economy, including the small holder farmers

Strengthens partnerships with governments

Consumer choice also includes individual efforts to collect food, such as arriving at the end of farmers’

markets to pick up left-over produce at low or no cost. Such efforts rely on individual initiative.

Where do interventions occur?

This analysis of the emergency food system requires understanding the social and institutional context

of service delivery (Figure 5). This is particularly critical in light of the mix of institutions and

organizations involved and where they intercept those in need with their services. For instance, EU

sponsored programs have a centralized structure and often face challenges in accessing individuals in

need. However, these programs can coordinate with efforts at the regional and muncipal level to

improve participation and delivery of food aid. Inversely, individuals have most direct control of access

through self-help efforts, such as community gardens. They may access food aid through local and

informal venues, however there may be citizenship criteria that limit access. Muncipal and regional-level

programs may be an essential conduit between national and local efforts.

Philanthropic organizations can provide some of the “glue” to encourage interactions across the various

scales of intervention. These efforts have both a top-down and bottom-up dimension, as suggested in

figure 5.

Figure 5: Context for Service Delivery and Examples of Supportive Opportunities at Various Levels of Intervention

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Pulling it all together

This analysis of who is providing services, what type of services, and where the services are being

implemented synthesizes into a comprehensive perspective on what is needed to assure a sustainable

food aid system for Greece (Figure 6). By clarifying who is currently involved in food aid, the central role

of institutions and organizations as intermediaries between food producers and consumers is clear – it is

here that most existing food aid effort is centered. Less developed is the connection with direct

production, both with agriculture and industry, as well as with self-help efforts, such as community

gardens. And even though the context is one of emergency need, it is still important to consider the

perspective of the consumers – what types of aid they prefer and where they can apply and access food.

Some of the strategies focused on consumer choice have limited presence in the current Greek food aid

system.

The multiple types of aid also suggest increased capacity for producers, institutions and organizations,

and consumers. For instance, this analysis reveals the limited engagement of producers in food aid. Is it

possible to engage farmers in food aid programs, such as gleaning or contracts related to commissaries

serving institutions? Should some food aid organizations consider moving into production to expand

food aid supply? How might more engagement with producers – farmers, as well as the food industry –

change current models of food reclamation relying on salvage and rescue that may have little to no risk

for the industry, but also may result in limited impact?

Lastly, analysis of where aid is provided – national, regional, municipal, local, and individual – suggests

opportunities for networking across scales. For instance, personal contact at the local level can be useful

in connecting individuals with national programs. Consumers may find opportunities to access aid at

multiple levels in order to get adequate amounts of food. This suggests the utility in shared databases

Figure 6: Conceptual Framework for a Food Aid System

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and coordinated delivery timing and mechanisms. By bridging scales, there may be efficiencies in food

storage and transportation as well.

Additional Considerations

To address the question of a long term, sustainable food aid system for Greece, we examined

international models for emergency food systems and food aid. The international perspective re-

affirmed some of the issues identified in the Greek research and also raised in conversations with Greek

food aid organization staff. However, it also revealed some considerations that may not yet be part of

the Greek strategy or discourse. Critical issues that consistently rose to the top as being important for

long term food aid include addressing networking and information sharing, food transportation and

distribution, nutrition and health, food

safety, and volunteerism. Each of these

topic areas suggests the potential for

important changes to the current Greek

emergency food system (Figure 7).

Networking and Information Sharing

Traditionally, Greek voluntary

organizations and NGOs that provided

food aid and other services depended on

state funding, which was provided

through different ministries of

government in a less-than-transparent

fashion (Sotiropoulos and Bourikos,

2014). After the crisis, deep economic

cuts to salaries, pensions, and the social

safety net forced citizens and groups to

mobilize and provide basic human

services that used to be the responsibility of

government. These solidarity groups and networks sprung up in an unpredictable fashion, often

engaging in activities and services that overlapped each other and lacked coordination and leadership.

Many also lacked the requisite skills or resources to implement programs and services efficiently

(Sotiropoulos and Bourikos, 2014). Some of our observations confirmed this finding, as we identified

many instances where better communication, stronger professional networks, and greater emphasis on

partnerships and cooperation could greatly increase the number of people receiving services and

benefits. Thus, an important food security strategy would be to improve networking and information

sharing capacity between food aid providers (registered and unregistered groups), as well as the public

and elected and government officials at the local and national level.

Figure 7: Additional Considerations in a Sustainable Food Aid System

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Food Transportation and Distribution

Planning for long-term sustainability of emergency and supplemental feeding systems will require a

deeper examination of Greece’s existing food transport and distribution infrastructure. The country’s

mostly mountainous terrain extends into the sea as peninsulas encompassing an archipelago of almost

2,000 islands which makes the logistics of food transportation difficult, even in the best circumstances.

Although road accessibility in Greece is slightly below the European average (Ecorys Nederland BV,

2006), there are still opportunities for innovation that could significantly improve efficiency in food

transport. A web platform, developed in Greece, called JoinCargo was developed with the explicit

purpose of creating efficiencies with transportation of goods on the roadways by bringing together

companies that need to ship freight with carriers who need to fill their trucks (JoinCargo, 2016). Given

that a number of Greek food aid organizations do not have refrigerated vehicles and/or limited capacity

for transportation/distribution of food, developing a model similar to JoinCargo may be an effective and

efficient strategy to consider for providing safe foods to those in need throughout Greece.

Another consideration in addressing food transportation issues in Greece is the food hub, a physical site

that serves as a central place for collection, production, and distribution of food products. Although

many food hubs are focused on serving local and regional producers, they can also serve the emergency

food system (Hardy et al., 2016). In some cases, community-based food hubs also provide job training

and support value-added production and small business creation. There are also “virtual hubs” that

work like online buying clubs to aggregate orders.

Nutrition and Health

Keeping focus on the nutritional integrity of meals in emergency food systems can be extremely

challenging. Unfortunately, emergency food systems everywhere are very dependent on donated food

and, in most cases, this results in a loss of control over the quality of foods flowing through the system.

An obvious tension can exist in the often competing goals of 1) providing sufficient quantities of food to

as many people in need as possible and 2) ensuring those foods are as healthy and nutritionally dense as

possible. Industry donates products close to expiration, overruns, etc. Individuals will drop into bins

unused items from their pantries at home, or extras of whatever they can afford to buy at the store.

Finally, groups involved in food salvage are called to pick up extra food from restaurants, bakeries,

catering halls, etc. Under these circumstances, food aid providers can rarely anticipate what or how

much they will receive.

In a true emergency, it is probably right to place quantity and safety ahead of quality factors, such as

nutrient density. However, as the crisis has passed the half-decade mark, there are likely to be long-

lasting, if not permanent changes to the structure of the Greek economy. During our interviews, it was

widely acknowledged that the “emergency” has passed. What Greeks are experiencing now is a “new

normal,” in which considerations about food must shift from emergency mode to developing

comprehensive supplemental nutrition programs as part of a restructured social safety net. This shift in

thinking is critical to ensure that vulnerable populations with special dietary needs, particularly pregnant

16

women, infants, children and the elderly, receive nutrient-dense foods and adequate calories for

optimal growth and development, and the overall maintenance of good health.

Especially for children, specific nutrients like calcium are of importance to promote optimal bone density

that will assist in growth and reduce risk of bone loss later in life. Poor health during

childhood/adolescence is linked to disrupting education and employment pathways as well (Hale et al.,

2015). Thus, children’s eating behaviors will influence their growth and health during childhood,

adolescence, and the rest of their lives. This has a substantial impact on their long term health and

service to Greek society. Investment in supplemental feeding that provides permanent access to

adequate amounts of safe and nutritious food should be part of the overall strategy to reduce food

insecurity and hunger.

Food Safety

Food safety, particularly in situations where food supplies are insecure, is of great concern. The

potential for food to become contaminated as a result of improper hygienic practices and food handling

procedures is significant, especially in emergency settings where workers, volunteers, and clients may

have inadequate protective infrastructure, equipment, sanitation supplies, and training. Food safety is a

hidden and often overlooked problem because foodborne diseases, regardless of how they occur, are

largely underreported.

The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly promotes the integration of food safety into nutrition

and food security programs (World Health Organization, 2016). They have long collaborated on several

joint activities with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organization for Animal

Health to ensure food safety at all stages of the food chain. Through cooperation at the international

level, these agencies are able to assess the risk of foodborne hazards, set international standards,

operate global alert mechanisms, assess the relevance and safety of new food technologies, and help

countries build basic capacities. Locally, WHO encourages officials to communicate the importance of

food safety in messages tailor-made to their communities because there may be cultural differences in

food and eating practices (Chan, 2014).

Overall, as individuals and groups organize and act to save, reclaim, redistribute, prepare, and serve

food to the public, greater consideration must be given to providing appropriate training, equipment,

and infrastructure. Among registered NGOs and other groups working closely with business and

industry, we observed their adherence to a well-developed set of food handling and safety standards in

line with HAACP principles, as well as more sophisticated legal frameworks, such as MOU’s that explicitly

shield food donors from liability – in the event that people are sickened from foodborne illness.

Extraordinary care is taken to ensure that no food beyond the expiration date is donated or served, and

proper instructions on safe temperatures for holding and serving food are included with each delivery to

the food provider.

This level of organization and care needs to spread outward to smaller, grassroots organizations that,

although well-intentioned, need significantly more capacity in the area of food safety. They often lack

17

appropriate temperature-controlled vehicles for the transport of certain foods, and outdoor communal

kitchens have no access to running water or proper food prep space. The development of a universal

set of food safety guidelines and requirements for all groups preparing or serving food to the public

should be part of an overall food security strategy.

The Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) has the responsibility to ensure the safety of the food consumed in

Greece. EFET is a partner of all projects administered by the central and local government (FEAD, school

lunches, etc.) in order to ensure the safety of large scale implementation of projects. EFET has offered to

train, at no cost, all persons involved in food preparation in small structures, such as civil society

initiatives, NGOs, and soup kitchens.

Volunteerism

There is a highly social dimension to all of the channels through which food aid is distributed. The one

constant in all of our observations was the volunteer. Volunteer labor is a key social resource upon

which all food aid distribution to some extent depends. But, the scale of the economic crisis coupled

with catastrophic levels of refugee migration into the country has meant that the normal support

mechanisms in the public and private sector have been overwhelmed. In the very best circumstances,

NGOs and government agencies that serve marginalized, vulnerable, and poor people typically have

more need than resources. Thus, in a crisis of this magnitude, paid staff members alone do not have

capacity to accomplish all the critical tasks that need to be undertaken. Volunteers are a crucial

resource for food aid organizations, particularly with the overall lack of trust in government and the

drain on government resources created by the crisis. It could even be said that volunteers help to make

food aid distribution channels run swiftly and smoothly.

Despite all the volunteerism we observed, recent studies suggest that the rate of volunteerism in Greece

lags behind those of other EU countries for a host of historical and institutional reasons. A European

Union study conducted in 2010 classified Greece among countries, including Italy, Lithuania, and

Bulgaria, in which less than 10 percent of the population aged over 15 engaged in voluntary activities,

whereas the EU average was 22 percent (Volunteering, 2010). Low rates of volunteerism may be due, in

part, to the fact that the density of NGOs within Greek society is also relatively low. Also, within the

government, there is no single ministry responsible for coordinating or encouraging volunteerism, no

recognized definition of or well-funded public infrastructure for volunteerism, and no framework for

validating the informal and formal learning made possible through volunteerism or of quantifying the

benefits of volunteerism for Greek society as a whole.

Yet, there are also encouraging signs. Volunteerism in Greece, while relatively low compared to other

western countries, has increased significantly in recent years, particularly among youth. For instance,

students at the Agriculture University of Athens recently founded the “Volunteer Group at AUA,” and

have taken the lead in collecting fruit from AUA farms and delivering it to the Center for Citizen Solidary

in the City of Athens. Recent efforts by universities, NGOs and some government agencies have begun

to lay a foundation for increased volunteerism in Greek society—a development that would have many

benefits for Greek food aid organizations.

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II. Current Snapshot of Food Aid in Greece

In this section of the report, we use the framework just discussed to analyze existing Greek food aid

programs. Rather than a comprehensive survey of all food aid providers, we sought to include examples

that represent a range of institutions/organizations involved. Information was collected through

website and literature review, interviews, and site visits. The food aid providers that we focused on

were chosen based on recommendations from SNF and other community and university partners. Most

are headquartered in Athens, although we also looked at the foodbank in Thessaloniki. The team

conducted informal semi-structured interviews of 1-2 hours, often leading to open discussions about

larger concerns about Greek economic recovery and societal health. Interviewees received research

team notes to verify facts and engage in further discussion. The interview questions are provided in

Appendix A, the list of groups in Appendix B, and map of sites in Appendix C.

The focus of the interviews was to get general background information and then to focus on

collaborations, challenges, and broader assessments regarding opportunities to improve food aid in

Greece. For each organization interviewed, we assessed the assets, challenges, and opportunities in five

key areas of concern: partnerships, research and evaluation, capacity development, resource

mobilization, and outcomes/impact. Using this method helped us get a broader picture of the current

food systems landscape in Greece. Given the limited time spent with each organization and the changes

underway in their operations as needs expand, our intention is not to focus on weaknesses or particular

needs of any one organization. Rather, we seek to learn from existing programs in order to guide future

efforts. Given the passion and dedication evident in the various Greek food aid programs, our analysis is

structured around capacity building.

Table 1. A Description of Analysis Categories

Category Description

Partnerships Any type of formal or informal agreement between two organizations that share knowledge, skills, resources, and/or profits.

Research, Monitoring and Evaluation

Any type of organized system in place for overseeing program initiatives, such as tracking data (e.g., number of meals served), site-visits, and testing of foods, that helps with assessing the program and its impact on food aid.

Capacity Development

The ability for organizations to strengthen and maintain their program initiatives and achieve their own development objectives over time.

Resource Mobilization

Activities involved in securing new and additional resources while also making better use of, and maximizing, existing resources that promote organizational sustainability.

Outcomes/Impact Measure of the tangible and intangible consequences of a program’s actions or influence upon another in providing food aid.

We then turned to international experts, providing them with information about the various Greek food

aid programs and requesting guidance in identifying other models and opportunities. In November

2016, we convened a workshop in which experts, in person and via Skype, discussed best practices for

food banks, food reclamation, school meals, and social services engaged in food aid. See appendix D for

a list of the attendees. This was followed by a series of site visits, tours, and additional interviews by the

19

primary research team to key organizations providing food aid in the U.S. Northeast (see appendix E).

Finally, we visited Greece for a second set of site visits, interviews, and tours.

We use our food aid typology (direct production, food reclamation, direct food aid, consumer choice) to

organize our study of the current Greek emergency food system, situating various programs into this

framework (figure 8). Case studies profile particular organizations. We also suggest areas of opportunity

in each of these types. This section concludes with a summary of the analysis (table 2).

Figure 8: Case studies associated with different types of food aid.

Direct Production in Greece

Commercial Agriculture To date, there are limited connections between Greek agriculture and current food aid

programs. There have been a few rare cases when a farmer has been able to donate produce

that did not meet packaging standards, and the complexity of this effort was compounded by

difficulty transporting produce from farm to recipient organizations.

International models suggest the need to engage agriculture in Greek emergency food system planning.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the average Greek farm enterprises are small and the operator

struggles to farm profitably, so stimulating production to address food aid needs must be framed in an

economic model that also supports farmers. This may require updating infrastructure, training, and

providing technical assistance to encourage new farmers and agro-food start-ups. Consolidating produce

from farms and transporting goods may involve the development of “bridging” organizations or

cooperatives. Rural farms, once scaled up, will have increased capacity to supply the various outlets for

food aid distribution (social groceries and kitchens, food banks, and school food programs).

Urban Agriculture Although there is a very limited historical tradition of urban agriculture in Greece, the economic crisis has

spurred a few urban agriculture projects to enable people to grow what they can and reduce the need to

buy. In our interviews, we learned that these initial projects received mixed reviews. We were told that

one project failed colossally, souring residents and municipal leaders on any future attempts, while other

projects seemed to have never truly “taken off”, eventually disappearing due to lack of resources and

committed leadership. Urban agriculture has failed to thrive mostly because of inadequate preparation,

planning, and poor organization. These challenges are compounded by a lack of trust that pervades many

NGO-led initiatives.

Despite some recent failures, we encountered a few solidarity groups that were very interested in

developing small urban and peri-urban farms and bringing value-added products to market. These groups’

members expressed a desire to farm in order to provide for their families and bring jobs and opportunities

back to the community.

There are real advantages to pursuing urban

agriculture in Greece. A long growing season, two

agricultural universities, and a culture that

embraces solidarity among its citizens could be

foundational elements in building a citywide

community gardening and urban farming

movement. To build greater capacity, more

training and workshops are needed to assist urban

gardeners, farmers, while community groups,

NGOs, and other institutional partners interested

in starting programs may need guidance with

21

planning and organization. A communications and outreach strategy is needed to educate and engage the

public. Finally, resources need to be available for a small paid staff to oversee gardens across the city as the

program expands. Model programs like Seattle, Washington’s P-Patch Community Garden Program have

organizational elements that might work very well in Athens

(https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/programs-and-services/p-patch-community-gardening).

Direct Production: Boroume’s Recent Urban Farm Pilot

Although just beginning, Boroume has developed what promises to be an influential model of urban agriculture

for Greece. The organization recently acquired use of a site about 45 minutes outside of downtown Athens. The

project relies on a strong network of volunteers to tend and care for the plot. They have also engaged a person

who lives nearby and can be on site every day to check and monitor the garden. They are consulting with an

agriculturalist for technical expertise.

The Boroume urban agriculture project is grounded in a partnership approach. They have “buy-in” and

cooperation from the local municipality. In fact, we were told the mayor brought his own tractor to the site and

plowed the land for the group.

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Food Reclamation

Currently, food reclamation is the most developed type of food aid in Greece. Most

programs seek to redirect otherwise wasted food to serve those in need. Organizations in

this area of food aid balance the needs and concerns of the food industry (producers and

retail) with the capacity of direct food providers (soup kitchens, pantries, social-serving

institutions, etc.).

In discussions with the Federation of Hellenic Food Industry (SEVT), it was made clear that the good

generated by providing near-expiration date food or otherwise unsellable goods to food aid must be

tempered with assurances from the food aid organizations that the food will not re-enter the marketplace.

Therefore, they seek assurances of careful screening and tracking procedures. Recent changes in tax law

now provide a monetary incentive for the food industry to donate near-expiration date foods to the food

bank. Attention to food safety and legal structures that limit liability are also critical in the ongoing

involvement of the food industry.

Given that this model is currently dependent on food waste, efforts to improve efficiencies within the food

industry may limit access to excess foods. Recent efforts to control inventory mean less foods will reach

near-expiration. While reducing waste is desirable, this means that new methods of acquiring food will be

necessary. For this reason, food reclamation efforts in other countries have shifted into direct production

and negotiated contracts with food producers.

Partnerships and volunteerism are critical in food reclamation efforts. These organizations work with

multiple service providers and engage with many different public groups. As such, they have the

opportunity to be a prominent public face in food aid. Engaging volunteers provides opportunities to

connect people in their communities, offering unforeseen synergies through personal contact.

Three examples of food reclamation in this study are: the Food Banks of Athens and Thessaloniki, Boroume,

and AB Vassilopoulos Supermarket.

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The Food Banks of Athens and Thessaloniki The first food bank in Athens was founded in 1995 by Gerasimos Vassilopoulos as an independent and self-governed charitable foundation. This was the first operator in Greece with the purpose to fight hunger and reduce food waste. Currently, the Food Bank in Athens has a good relationship with the food industry and receives donations from more than 80 companies in the Federation of Hellenic Food Industry (SEVT). In total, SEVT is partnered with ~1,240 food and beverage companies. On average, the Food Bank of Athens receives around 1,200 tons of food per year from food industries that is then given to around 144 soup kitchens and charitable organizations that directly feed the poor (e.g., nursing homes, hospitals, childcare institutions) with most food being distributed to local churches in Athens. Food Bank of Athens Operation The Food Bank of Athens mobilizes food industries to donate food and non-food items so that the Food Bank can redirect them to charitable organizations. Industries donate food that cannot be sold due to faulty packaging and food close to expiration date or surplus amounts. As a member of the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA), the Food Bank of Athens follows certain protocols to ensure food safety. Board approval is required before any organization can be given food and they conduct periodic check-ins after approval to make sure the organization is adhering to food safety standards and appropriate distribution to those in need. Once an organization has been approved, they are allowed to regularly receive donations by visiting the food bank with their own food trucks to pick it up. Based on need, each organization is allotted a specific amount of food, typically enough to last 15 days. The food bank owns a private facility (1500 m2) in Athens that is equipped with refrigeration and deep freezing units to house food, beverages, detergents, and personal hygiene products. Most of the products received are dry goods. They receive little fresh produce and no meat because they are highly perishable; however, on occasion they will receive frozen fish products. Food Bank of Thessalonki With growing food needs in the north, the Food Bank of Athens helped to establish a second food bank in Thessaloniki in 1998. As of May of 2016, this food bank now operates independently but still has a good working relationship with the Food Bank of Athens. The Food Bank of Thessaloniki, similar to the Food Bank of Athens, is a member of the European Federation of Food Banks (FEBA), and receives mostly non-perishable goods from companies in SEVT (~35 total). In 2015, they reported receiving around 130 to 150 tons of donated food that were distributed to a number of food aid organizations in the city of Thessaloniki, with the majority of food distributed to local churches. Other charitable organizations to which donated food was distributed included social solidarity groups (e.g., Saint Panteleimon), NGOs (e.g., Praxis), municipality social groceries, Red Cross, and rehabilitation centers located in Thessaloniki. Unlike the Food Bank of Athens, the Food Bank of Thessaloniki allows municipalities and unofficially registered organizations (social solidarity groups) to acquire donated food from their food bank as needed.

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Food Reclamation “at the table”

Boroume: A Case Study of a Bridging Organization in Food Recovery

Boroume, an officially registered Athens-based NGO, is a small but incredibly efficient and highly regarded organization specializing in food reclamation. Modeled after City Harvest, a New York City non-profit credited with being the world’s first and NYC’s only food rescue organization, Boroume acts as a bridge between food donors (e.g., restaurants, hotels, bakeries, green grocers) and providers of direct food aid (i.e., social services, soup kitchens) in more than 70 cities in Greece. Boroume began in 2012 and currently has 50 staff members of which five are fulltime and the rest are volunteer.

How do they operate?

Boroume manages a dynamic list of donors and recipients, seeking to connect those who have excess food with those who are in need. After this “bridge” is made, recipients pick up the food from donors, and Boroume periodically checks-in to make sure the connection is performing as expected. On occasion, when large donations are available from far outside Athens or one of the Greek Isles, Boroume has successfully arranged for third- party pick-ups and delivery. These arrangements were made possible through the large network of personal/professional relationships of Boroume’s executive director. The goal is to solidify these donor-recipient relationships in the hope they will become permanent and self-sustaining, minimizing Boroume’s oversight so it can focus on establishing more bridges.

In its role as facilitator, Boroume’s legal counsel drafted an MOU that donors and recipients may use to structure their relationship, so both parties feel secure. Once the donation leaves the donor’s door with specific handling instructions to ensure food safety, donors are protected from liability if subsequently, something should go wrong with the food. Boroume has made all of its information regarding who has and who needs food publicly available, via an interactive Google map. The interactive maps make it easy for them to combine donations with the needs of people based on geographical proximity of both parties.

25

Food Reclamation “at the warehouse”

AB Vassilopoulos Supermarket: A Case Study of Industry-based Food Reclamation

The AB Vassilopoulos supermarket is a family-owned business that was founded in 1933 by two brothers, Gerasimos and George Vassilopoulos. This same family started the first food bank in Athens in 1995 as well. The company has been very dedicated to food and environmental concerns, which has shaped its corporate culture. Additionally, the company is well known in Greece for its affordable food prices and variety of Hellenic products. The AB Vassilopoulos store chain is now part of a Belgian company, Ahold-Delhaize Group (recently merged), which includes American stores like Food Lion, Stop and Shop, Giant, Haverford, Peapod, Martins, and BFresh. Ahold-Delhaize group controls 50 percent of U.S. East Coast market. The parent company has established goals and standards related to giving, reducing waste, and sustainability that are driving some changes in how the AB Vassilopoulos chain interacts with food aid organizations in Greece. The store has an annual budget for donations and gives in multiple ways. Some of these include:

Food Bank: AB Vassilopoulos manages inventory and donations through its warehouses, sending food that is close to expiration date to the food bank.

Donate to NGOs

Receive donations from customers in the store: Customers are encouraged to purchase extra items for donation and then leave them in donation baskets at the store’s exit. The TV channel Sky launched a campaign, “Mazi Boroume” – “Together We Can,” to promote this effort. The store food donations go to the Greek church (~50 percent) and the rest goes to other charity organizations that pick the baskets up at the store.

Food Reclamation: AB Vassilopoulos works with Boroume (not to be confused with Mazi-Boroume mentioned above) on distribution of surplus foods. They estimate that 1 million euros worth of food waste has been redirected to food aid.

Monetary Donations: Some products in stores indicate that, if you buy, 100 percent of the profit goes to NGOs.

26

Direct Food Aid

Direct food aid – food packages, social pantries, and

soup kitchens – is the “ground zero” of emergency

feeding because it directly engages with individuals

seeking food for themselves and their families. The

team conducted interviews and site visits at

organizations affiliated with the national and municipal

government, several registered and unregistered NGOs,

organizations affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Church, and

independent solidarity groups. Organizations that provided direct

food aid prior to the economic crisis have found it difficult to meet

recent increased demand. Other organizations with social service

missions have added food aid to their programs in order to

address this need among their clientele. These organizations do

their best to provide food and meals to those in need, and their

passion is inspiring. Universally, feedback suggests that their

efforts do not address all the nutrition and food needs of the

people they serve. Many involved in direct food aid rely on partnerships and collaborations, often working

with each other (i.e. municipalities working with the church) and relying on food reclamation programs (the

food bank, Boroume) for supplies to use in their meals. There are great opportunities for increased

networking across these organizations in order to link databases and coordinate services.

National Direct food aid engages many different types of organizations. National ministries and prefecture and city

government agencies are involved in direct aid through EU- and nationally funded programs. For instance,

the EU-funded FEAD program, described below, provides pre-determined packages of food to the most

deprived. Prior to FEAD program funding, the Ministry of Social Solidarity had developed a “consumer

choice” program that provided vouchers to the most deprived, however this type of aid could not be

supported with FEAD funding and has ended. The Ministry of Social Solidarity has also been involved in

school feeding pilot programs, which are described in a later section.

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Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) The EU Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) is now in its second phase in Greece and is still evolving. It is the successor of the Program for European Aid to the Most Deprived (PEAD) that ended in 2013. The objective of FEAD is to support the most deprived people to take their first steps out of poverty and social exclusion by addressing their most basic needs (European Commission, 2016). The program involves many layers of government – national, prefecture, and city. Who is eligible and what can be provided to beneficiaries?

FEAD can be used to support most disadvantaged groups in society by providing food, basic consumer items (e.g., clothing, footwear, toiletries), or by organizing social inclusion activities.

FEAD can be used to finance the collection and distribution of food donations to combat food waste. How does FEAD work?

The Commission approves the national programs for 2014-2020 on the basis of which national authorities take the individual decisions leading to the delivery of the assistance through partner organizations (usually non-governmental).

EU countries can choose what type of assistance they wish to provide depending on their own situation, and how the items are to be obtained and distributed.

National authorities can either purchase the food and goods themselves or supply them to partner organizations or fund the organizations so they can make the purchases themselves.

Partner organizations that buy the food or goods themselves can either distribute directly or ask other partner organizations to help.

How are partner organizations selected?

They are public bodies or non-governmental organizations selected by national authorities on the basis of objective and transparent criteria defined at the national level.

FEAD Program in Greece

Activated 57 partnerships all over Greece with participation of regions, municipalities, NGOs, legal persons under private law, consumer organizations, and informal social structures.

The partnerships have undertaken the food distribution to beneficiaries ---their goal is to have them become a “too” for active participation as well as control.

Through FEAD, 195,424 households containing 411,936 members have been given food products

Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture started a program that gave free fruit to beneficiaries of various vulnerable categories of the population (e.g., FEAD, SSI, etc.). The distribution was undertaken by 57 FEAD partnerships and, in total, 39,500 tons of fresh fruit has been distributed as of now.

European Commission FEAD Regulations

Provides provision of non-financial assistance to the most deprived persons defined as persons with an income less than 40 percent of the basic salary.

Article 4 of the FEAD Regulation establishes the eligible forms of non-financial assistance: food and/or basic material assistance (i.e., basic consumer goods of a limited value for the personal use of the most deprived persons), and social inclusion activities (European Commission, 2016).

Vouchers, payment cards and prepaid cards are considered financial assistance, and thus, not eligible for support under FEAD.

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Municipal The Greece municipalities in collaboration with ESPA state funding are able to meet the immediate needs

of those deprived by providing multiple types of social services such as education/tutoring, counseling, and

employment service. Additionally, municipalities facilitate FEAD benefits to those that qualify, along with

other food aid service supplementation (food pantry) for non-FEAD families and individuals which is funded

by private donations and companies.

Church

Most Greeks are Greek Orthodox by religion. Although

each diocese provides emergency food relief in slightly

different ways (food may be catered or cooked on

premises), most churches receive bimonthly amounts of

food from the Food Bank. The Athens Archdiocese covers

the City of Athens and some nearby communities – roughly

2 million people. Before 2010, the church had a small

number of soup kitchens, mostly serving addicts, homeless,

and migrants. However, these numbers have exploded with

the crisis. Currently, the churches serve tens of thousands

of hot meals daily across 78 parochial centers.

Community - Led

Many grassroots community efforts, often referred to as

social solidarity groups, were established by private citizens

to provide direct emergency food aid after the economic

crisis. These “brick and mortar” spaces operate as soup

kitchens and/or social groceries (food pantries), and they

rely solely on private donations and volunteer labor.

Although most are unregistered or unofficial, government

officials are aware of their existence as they attempt to fill

very large gaps in Greece’s frayed social safety net. Some of

these solidarity groups have expanded to include other

social services, such as tutoring in Greek and English for

children and adults in the immigrant communities, showers

and laundry facilities for the homeless, counseling, and

medical/pharmacy services.

Kallithea Social Grocery The Kallithea Social Grocery is a collaboration

between Apostoli and the local municipality of

Kallithea. This social grocery (food pantry)

operates on support from the church through

Apostoli and donations from companies and

private individuals. Since it partners with the

government, those receiving assistance through

this organization must provide “papers” and

identification. Officials here check regularly to

make sure families are not receiving food benefits

from both the social grocery and other

municipally operated centers.

(Source: Apostoli-Philanthropic Organization of the

Holy Archdiocese of Athens)

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School Meals

Providing food aid through school-based meal programs has the potential to reach more than a half million

households with children and could potentially have a substantial health impact for Greece. Globally,

school-based nutrition interventions as part of a school feeding program have received particular attention,

and have increasingly become a policy measure often adopted in developed and developing countries

(Jomaa et al., 2011; World Food Programme, 2013). Given that good nutrition is essential for long term

child health and growth, investing in school-based meal programs for Greek children (~600,000) is critical to

ensuring a healthier future generation of Greek citizens.

In Greece, there is currently no cooking infrastructure in schools for the preparation and service of hot

meals. There are also no governmental policy mechanisms (similar to USDA’s National School

Breakfast/Lunch Program) that establish national standards or funding to support universal feeding in

schools. Most students attend school from 8am to 1:30pm and then go home to have lunch with their

families around 2pm. Traditionally, there has been a scheduled snack sometime during the school day in

which they can bring their own food or purchase food from the school-licensed canteen owners. After

reports that food shortages in the home were so severe that many children were fainting in school,

foundations and NGOs moved quickly to establish programs that would begin to address the problem.

Currently, three pilot projects seek to find a foothold with Greek school meals –the Diatrofi school snack

program and the School Hot Lunch Meal program and the School Snack Program, both initiated by the

Minister of Social Solidarity (the Diatrofi School Snack program and the School Hot Lunch Meal program are

described below).

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School Snack Program in Greece - DIATROFI The Stavros Niarchos Foundation funded Prolepsis, a leading public health institute in Greece, to examine the potential for school food programs in Greece. Prolepsis developed a Food Aid and Promotion of Healthy Nutrition program in schools called DIATROFI (Zota et al., 2016). The program continues to provide food-aid through distribution of a free daily, healthy and nutritious meal to all primary and secondary school participants in the program. Only select schools that meet specific criteria can apply for the program. Since 2012, the program has collected over 140,000 questionnaires with information on food insecurity, dietary patterns, physical activity, quality of life, health history, school performance and family affluence of participants in the program. Additionally, they have qualitative data from focus groups and interview data collected from parents and children. Based on results from pretest surveys implemented before school-based food aid program:

o 53.1 percent of families experience food insecurity (survey from Food Security Survey Module) o 21 percent of families experience hunger o 15 percent of families had BOTH parents receiving no outside income o 64 percent of families had at least ONE parent receiving no outside income o 7 percent of families were without electricity o 31.6 percent of children were overweight/obese o 10 percent of children were underweight

Results at post-test after receiving the school-based food aid program:

o The percentage of children in households experiencing food insecurity significantly decreased (Petralias et al., 2016)

o Those experiencing food insecurity with hunger at baseline were more likely to improve their food insecurity score than those who did not (Petralias et al., 2016)

o Participating children were significantly more likely to consume more milk/yogurt, vegetables, and fruits (Zota et al., 2016)

o Participating children had 61 percent higher odds of improving their BMI from overweight/obese to normal weight, and 2.5 times higher odds of improving from underweight to normal weight (Zota et al., 2016)

Where do meals come from?

Prolepsis works closely on finding the appropriate vendor/catering firm that will be able to meet their strict food specifications for the schools. In order to ensure that appropriate services are being rendered, they have a signed contract with the vendors with very specific rules (e.g., if not on time with food to the school they do not get paid).

Vendors are selected through procurement process and evaluation on technical standards and cost-efficiency.

The vendors are inspected on a regular basis by Prolepsis in making sure the food hygiene, quality, and safety are ensured constantly.

Ten samples checked daily for safety, quality, flavor, and compliance with standards.

What is the meal?

The breakfast or snack supplement varies from day to day but in general consists of a sandwich (whole wheat bread w/virgin olive oil) with chicken, cheese or egg, and vegetables, yogurt, fruit, and milk.

All of the products have to be Hellenic (except banana) and produced exclusively with virgin olive oil.

No foods can have preservatives, artificial colors, flavor enhancers, or synthetic sweeteners.

The meal meets around 21-33 percent total calorie needs of child.

Have to meet the packaging guidelines provided by law and the information and logos provided by Prolepsis (logos of Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Prolepsis Institute, and DIATROFI Program on products packaging), with short nutritional messages.

Each meals costs around 1.40 to 1.60 euros to produce.

31

School Hot Lunch Meal Pilot Program The School Hot Lunch Meal Program aims to provide one warm meal per day to all students in primary public schools in areas with low socioeconomic indices (mainly low income and employment rates). The Program is an initiative of the Alternate Minister of Social Solidarity of the Ministry of Labour, Social Insurance, and Social Solidarity. Launched in February 2016 as a pilot in 18 public schools in the Prefecture of Attica, the program serves 3,500 hot meals per day. Financing for the program was raised through crowd funding on a platform developed by the National Bank of Greece. No other state or EU funds were available. Funding was used to cover the cost of the meals. The meals were prepared by three catering businesses (operating as social entrepreneurs) at their kitchens and transferred to each school daily, where they were distributed to the students. The students consumed the meal in the classroom during a 30 minute break towards the end of the school day. The meals were organized in a monthly menu designed and supervised by dieticians of the Agricultural University of Athens according to the model of the Mediterranean Diet and the guidelines of the international bodies for healthy eating. Seasonality, locality, recipes, and practical issues raised by the caterers were addressed whenever possible. The caterers operated their kitchens and distribution procedures under the supervision of the Food Hygiene Lab of the Agricultural University of Athens. Program evaluation occurred at the end of the school year. It was positive and suggested that school meals are an acceptable and welcoming intervention that help to support adequate and healthy food intake in children and reduce the number of meals that need to be covered by household food stores that are already stretched to the breaking point. The program is now expanding to include cities in mainland Greece. Recently, the Prime Minister announced that, starting January 2017, the program will grow to provide 30,000 lunches to school children in Thessaloniki.

32

Consumer Choice

The consumer choice model of food aid has

a complicated history in Greece. As the

economic crisis hit Greece, the Ministry of

Social Solidarity launched a program that

was similar to SNAP benefits in the U.S.

This included the issuing of the Solidarity Card, an EBT

card, which allowed monthly food purchases. The

Ministry issued 80,035 cards and the monthly amount

provided was at least 70 euro, depending on the size of

the family. This program is scheduled to end in January

2017 as funding is no longer approved by the EU, and it

will now be substituted by the FEAD food allowance

project.

An example of another consumer-choice model is Solidarity Piraeus. Established in 2012, this membership

organization has established a barter system that engages an alternative currency. Currently, there is a

250-member capacity (900 applicants). Members are volunteers and beneficiaries of services provided

(mostly 35-50 years of age) and they reside in the Piraeus area. The group’s philosophy is to encourage

people to get out of the house, get involved, contribute to help others, and help themselves. Each member

contributes five euros/month, or one euro/month if unemployed, and volunteers four hours/week to

receive 70 portos/month (paper currency with equivalencies in euros and redeemable for food and other

services available through Solidarity Piraeus. The group also provides tutoring for children, clothing for the

migrant community, and prepared meals for the homeless.

Table 2. Assets, Challenges, and Opportunities

DIRECT PRODUCTION

FOOD RECLAMATION DIRECT FOOD AID CONSUMER CHOICE

Agriculture and urban agriculture

FOOD BANK (ATHENS)

SALVAGE (Boroume)

Industry (AB

Vassilopoulos)

FEAD

School Meals Social grocery, Soup Kitchens

Solidarity Card Solidarity Piraeus

ASS

ETS

- Increased interest in farming and value-added production

- Some municipalities have access to land

- Agro-food activities could be boost for job creation and economic development and buffer against hunger and food insecurity

- Close relationships with food industry through SEVT - Warehouse equipped

with cold storage

- Multi-sectoral partnerships and networks

- Good volunteer engagement

- Efficient tracking data/inventory

- MOUs establish transparency and liability issues

- Industry and groceries benefit through new tax break and public relations

- Good volunteer networks

- MOUs establish transparency and liability issues

- Leverages EU funding to support multiple strategies in reducing food insecurity and hunger

-Reaches a broad sector of population vulnerable to food insecurity - Linked to other education and health concerns -School feeding programs were very well received

-Flexibility in form and style of organization -Very dedicated volunteers and/or staff -Work closely with community residents

- Provides autonomy in accessing benefits - Consumer choice and retail focus reduce waste

CH

ALL

ENG

ES

- Infrastructure needs updating needed to support farming/food processing

- More training and technical and financial assistance to new farmers and agro food start ups

- Matching people/land, especially in urban settings.

- Restricted membership

- Although careful with inventory and tracking, their system not up to date

- Limited staff and volunteer

- Limited space for expansion

- Primary focus on food industry determines program

- Limited ability to partner with groups outside Athens

- Fundraising - Evaluation

standards are less rigorous (calorie vs. nutrition)

- No capacity or infrastructure to actually handle food

- Tighter supply chains means “shrinkage” in amounts of food available for donation

- Paperwork/bureaucracy can delay donations or deliveries

- EU rules limit how funds can be spent - Funding levels are very low - Limited food and variety not adequate for long term health needs

- Expensive to run -Requires government commitment - School feeding in pilot phase; expansion requires financial support Schools do not have kitchen facilities -Requires supervision, tracking, monitoring

- Eligibility for benefits varies - Highly dependent on food salvage - Fundraising - Limited coordination between groups.

-EU FEAD rules do not allow for solidarity card - For solidarity groups, membership limited by donations

OP

PO

RTU

NIT

IES - Potential to revive rural

economies and create new enterprises - Urban agriculture can directly involve those in need as well as many organizations.

- Opportunity to expand beyond Athens area (e.g., networks, satellite offices)

- Potentially could find more efficiencies in “scaling up” with a supply chain analysis and technology that optimizes inventory control, ordering, and distribution at a regional level

- Could coordinate with direct production includes produce, fruit, fish, etc., as well as value-added, packaged goods developed for food aid. - With better infrastructure investment, greater amounts of food and other products could be aggregated and processed - Universal school meals can significantly reduce household food insecurity and is a highly effective outreach tool to assess other social support needs of families

- Solidary card could be reinstated with non-EU funds - Could activate local economies

III. Recommendations for a Sustainable Greek Food Aid System Over the past several years, government agencies, organizations, and individuals have responded to the

urgent need for food aid resulting from the recent economic crisis. These programs were built on the

foundation of pre-existing programs or started anew. The ensuing efforts range from national programs to

very local projects, from efforts to utilize wasted food to programs to feed hungry children. As a result, food

aid in Greece is a mosaic, an assemblage of efforts held together by a common concern that people are

hungry and underfed. However, how the parts work together determines the resiliency of the overall effort.

Our recommendations seek to address shared needs in order to strengthen the overall food aid system in

Greece.

The following recommendations cover broad areas associated with capacity building. The

recommendations are not in any order of importance but rather outline a range of scales and opportunities

for improvement. While some of the structural changes require substantial investment and buy-in from

government, we also highlight opportunities to start dialogue and invest in initial efforts that strengthen

the overall sustainability of the existing system. All recommendations require ongoing discussion and

development that should involve the Greek agencies and organizations providing food aid. The Rutgers

team, as well as our involved colleagues from the Agricultural University of Athens, the American Farm

School, and international food aid NGOs, are eager to be part of this dialogue and to assist through

facilitation and technical advice, as appropriate. Table Three provides key considerations related to the

different food aid types and outlines suggestions at the national, regional, and local level.

Strengthen the Food Aid Community

Many committed individuals and organizations have directed their time, energy, and

resources to addressing the emergency food needs in Greece. While working on this

report, we had the opportunity to learn about the various projects underway and hear

proposals suggested by organization staff to improve their work. Many of the people

we spoke with know about other organizations’ food aid programs, and there is some

collaboration between organizations. However, we frequently heard concerns

regarding the limited opportunities to network and learn from each other, as well as some perceptions of

competition for funding and support. We heard organizations cite similar needs that might be served best

collectively rather than on an organization-by-organization basis. As a snapshot of existing aid efforts, this

report is a starting point to frame the shared concerns and needs of existing organizations. Distributing this

report to the various organizations and agencies may serve as a catalyst to initiate discussion – clarifying,

expanding, and generating additional perspectives and recommendations through critique and debate.

Culture of Collaboration and Networking to Increase Capacity

There is a call for national, regional, and local networks that encourage peer-to-peer sharing of information,

ideas, data, and resources. Through networking, organizations may identify shared needs and

opportunities. There may be immediate things - refrigeration, trucks, sites of food aid delivery, etc. - that

one organization could provide to another. There may also be economies of scale that enable different

procurement models, such as sharing in the expense of trucking from regional sources. The network could

35

be a meeting place to coordinate education about food safety and nutrition concerns and a forum to

discuss best practices.

Another outcome of this networking could be a shared registration and tracking system. Such a shared

system would help improve the identification and registration of the most deprived individuals for FEAD

food packages. It may also help serve those who are not eligible for FEAD support but in need. Given that

most organizations provide a limited amount of food, some coordination of services could help families get

food from multiple sources. This network could expand to identify other services - housing, clothing,

tutoring, etc. – that struggling families may need.

Recommendation: Convene a series of food aid workshops in Greece to discuss this report and

other issues of shared interest.

Recommendation: Encourage opportunities d frame food aid at a regional scale to encourage

multi-organization networking and partnership.

Opening the Door for Volunteers

A shared need in the food aid community is supporting a culture of volunteerism. The Greek food aid

system – from the Food Bank and Boroume down to solidarity groups – depends on unpaid volunteers as

an essential workforce. Yet significant impediments, both institutional and cultural in nature, remain to

potentially discourage volunteerism. Some of this is structural and has to do with the legal framework for

civil society organizations, liability concerns, and national registries. However, rates of volunteerism in

Greece have risen since the economic crisis, particularly among Greeks in their 20s and 30s. A focused,

deliberate, and sustained effort to celebrate these changes and build on them could help to “lock in” a new

“culture of volunteerism” in Greece. One result could be a significant source of labor for food aid NGOs, as

well as donations of money and food for years to come.

Another avenue for volunteerism is to engage the corporate and educational sectors. Such practices

support group volunteer activities – assembly-line production to package food aid, gleaning a field, etc. –

that garner public attention and fast work for food aid programs. Many multinational organizations already

have policies to support corporate-sponsored volunteerism that may not be applied to their businesses

working in Greece. University students are another potential resource and offer the opportunity to

combine service with education about hunger, nutrition, and civic responsibility.

Recommendation: Encourage a campaign for volunteerism with a particular focus on food aid.

Work with major corporations and universities to promote sponsored volunteer events and

activities.

36

Production Opportunities Linked to Food Aid

Currently, the food aid model relies on donations of food and purchase (through EU

funds or financial donations). Capturing food waste and redirecting it into the

emergency food system has been a very effective means to fill food bank and social

grocery shelves, as well as provide ingredients for soup kitchen meals. This method,

however, is vulnerable to diminishing supply as industry becomes more efficient and

there is less waste. Donations by the food industry of near-expiration date food

products or products with faulty packaging has been a critical element in food aid, but this practice limits

the ability to plan well-rounded meals that address nutritional needs. By focusing on production-side

opportunities, not only can the amount of food be increased, but it can also be tied to expanding fresh,

healthy options and job creation opportunities.

Engaging with Agriculture

Engaging the agricultural sector of Greece could bolster the resiliency of food aid programs by enabling

another channel of supply beyond the food industry and injecting a new source for fresh fruits and

vegetables into the supply stream for food aid. Such an approach would, of course, face the same

challenges that the current model has had to overcome, in particular food perishability and safety. In

addition, given that many farmers are also struggling economically, their involvement in food aid would

likely require purchase or national programs related to surplus. Yet even with these challenges, the benefits

of successfully engaging agriculture in food aid far outweigh the costs of trying.

Policies and practices could serve to support domestic procurement in large-scale food aid efforts.

Currently, EU FEAD requirements make it very difficult for Greek farmers and producers to supply the food

included in food aid packages. It behooves us to interrogate this issue more fully and to advocate for

domestic procurement. Likewise, development of a school meal program could also favor domestic

procurement of fruits, vegetables, fish, etc. Further discussion with key ministries is necessary to advance a

mutually beneficial approach to food aid that supports Greek agriculture.

Fostering opportunities for farmers and producers to provide unmarketable products is another potential

supply opportunity. Often, farmers have leftover goods that do not meet size or appearance standards, but

the labor of harvesting and packaging is a disincentive for donation. Developing local and regional gleaning

programs could accommodate farmers’ needs for labor and safe handling. Such gleaning programs may

coordinate with efforts to encourage corporate volunteer programs.

Greek farmers’ markets provide direct connections between producers and consumers. There may be ways

to support efficient collection of unsold produce (donated or at reduced prices) from farmers’ markets and

other direct-to-consumer channels. Vouchers or “farm bucks” programs could enable those in need to

“buy” directly from farmers, with the money subsidized partially or fully by other sources.

Recommendation: Engage in further discussion with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Social

Solidarity, and others regarding opportunities to link food aid with rural and agricultural

development.

Recommendation: Explore the potential for gleaning programs that serve farmers, food aid

organizations, and consumer needs.

Recommendation: Explore collection and voucher programs at farmers’ markets.

37

Support Urban Agriculture

As a part of the emergency food system, urban agriculture not only provides direct access to nutritious

fruits and vegetables, but also engages people directly in building their own capacity. Urban agriculture is

not intended to replace supplies from rural agriculture, which is much more efficient in terms of yields.

Rather, urban agriculture is a social, educational, and engagement resource that could be an important

nutritional supplement to other food aid programs. Various models could be encouraged, including

cooperative urban farms, community gardens, rooftop gardens, and institutional farms/gardens.

Particularly given Greece’s warm-weather climate, urban agriculture has great potential, which at present is

completely untapped.

Urban agriculture requires planning and appropriate supports to assure its success. Given the time and

labor involved in gardening and farming, participants need to be assured that it is worth it - that there will

be good harvests. Clear rules must address safety, communication between gardeners, and trust. Access

to arable land can be supported through land banks or land trusts that provide the legal framework for land

tenure. Although skilled gardeners can teach each other, access to technical assistance is important to

increase yields and avoid crop failures. Many of the model programs in the US, Europe, and Australia have

an NGO or municipal agency that establishes policies, addresses legal and organizational concerns, and

provides educational and technical support.

Urban residents may augment their food needs through household gardening on patios and rooftops. With

proper guidance a small garden may provide herbs, fresh greens, and other items that augment what is

provided in food aid packages and social groceries. Recent technological advances in light-weight soils and

rooftop garden modules open possibilities that align with Greek urban development patterns.

Recommendation: Encourage development of policies and programs that support urban

agriculture at the national, regional, and municipal levels.

Recommendation: Investigate the development of regional land trust or land banks to link those

who want to start food aid-related farming with undeveloped, arable land.

Recommendation: Encourage research and demonstration projects related to rooftop gardens,

community gardening, and urban agriculture.

Food Reclamation Throughout Greece

With the Food Bank of Athens and Boroume currently well-established in the Athens

area, the greatest opportunities to develop and expand food reclamation may lie in

other parts of Greece. These efforts need not bypass or sideline what is already

working, but can grow and evolve based on current models. The Food Bank of Athens

has established a strong relationship with SEVT, whose industries tend to be focused in

the Athens area, while the Food Bank of Thessaloniki links to that region’s industries.

Data remains to be gathered as to other regional producers not yet networked into the two food banks.

Boroume has had remarkable success in Athens and has established some connections with other regions

in order to bring food into Athens. The next step is to consider how food reclamation might work in parts of

Greece without Athens’ unique concentration of population and industry. If food reclamation groups with

Boroume’s nimbleness and the Food Bank of Athens’ “staying power” could be introduced in small cities

around Greece, the impact on food insecurity could be significant. Critical to this effort is to develop a

38

shared database and communication structure that avoids competition for the same funders and industrial

donations.

International donations are another untapped opportunity. A proposal is currently being developed by

FairShare Greece, a new UK-based NGO. It remains to be seen how this program unfolds and addresses

food offerings, nutritional content, transportation mechanisms, and distribution.

Recommendation: Explore capacity to expand food reclamation efforts in other regions of

Greece. This may involve satellite offices of existing organizations or development of new

organizations.

Recommendation: Explore international food industry donations that may complement domestic

efforts.

Scaling Up Direct Aid

The diversity of direct aid efforts enables groups to reach into many communities in

need. While effective at distributing aid, the local and small nature of many of these

endeavors makes acquiring and transporting food a challenge. Many direct aid efforts

would benefit from networking, sharing resources, and providing education about food

safety and nutrition, as previously discussed. Basic infrastructure – a refrigerator, a

van, etc. – may be needed by individual projects, suggesting the opportunity to survey

groups’ basic needs in initial workshops. Our focus here, however, is to consider how to scale-up resources

to serve more individuals in need and facilitate a range of organizations. Two key areas of opportunity are

working with the schools and developing commissaries to process meals.

School Meals

Providing nutritious school meals to Greek children would represent a sea change in national food aid

policy, potentially resulting in a wide range of beneficial outcomes, including: 1) improved health of

students and subsequent changes to life and educational trajectories; 2) support for healthy-eating habits

in the next generation of Greek citizens; 3) service to a cross sector of the population, thereby relieving

pressure on other food aid organizations; and 4) creation of synergistic opportunities for Greek food

entrepreneurs and domestic food producers and manufacturers. These outcomes are all illustrated in the

recent pilot school meal and snack programs profiled in this report. Though small in size, these programs

demonstrated that fully realized school-based food aid on a national or even regional scale would have

enormous impact.

The nutritional integrity of school meals is a central consideration. Involving public health experts is crucial

to ensuring that meals for students are nutritious and filling. Without good nutrition, the most important

goals of this kind of program will not be realized.

Any enlargement of school-based food aid should incorporate from the start a process for data-gathering

and program evaluation. In addition to aiding understanding about public health impacts, such evidence-

based evaluation could also look at ancillary consequences such as: 1) jobs created through school meals

programs; 2) economic opportunities afforded to food entrepreneurs; 3) economic relief for families of not

having to provide a meal themselves; and various other benefits.

39

Recommendation: Encourage a multi-year, multi-stakeholder planning effort to determine the

appropriate next steps for school-based food aid.

Recommendation: If government ministries take the lead on school meals, consider supportive

efforts in nutrition education and outreach.

Central Kitchen and Commissaries

Centralizing food procurement and meal preparation would greatly improve food aid access, particularly in

urban areas that have concentrations of need and existing aid programs with direct connections to

individuals in need. Rather than duplicating the process of food preparation – often in inadequate facilities

or involving the expense of separate vendors – we believe it a worthwhile endeavor to investigate the

potential of central kitchens or commissaries serving multiple organizations.

Central kitchens would also serve the school meal programs. Currently, virtually no Greek schools have on-

site food preparation facilities beyond warming areas and short-term refrigeration. Therefore, it is our view

that the future of school aid would need to include school-meal focused commissary kitchens where food

processing and meal production are centralized. If efforts are to scale up, particularly in the context of

school meals, centralized kitchens or commissaries will be essential to provide the quantity and quality

desired. The development of centralized kitchens is also an opportunity for socially responsible

entrepreneurial development. It is business creation that also serves economic development goals.

Recommendation: Investigate the potential business model for for-profit or non-profit central

kitchens or commissaries. This may involve engaging with socially responsible businesses and

collaborating with the food industry network.

Engage Those Being Served

Strongly essential to the success of all the recommendations noted is the need to

understand more about who needs food aid and how to best serve their needs so that

it is no longer an emergency issue. Although this study delved into the organizations

providing food aid, there is still very limited information on those being served – their

needs, strategies for aid, preferences, etc. A case in point is the sense that many people

preferred consumer choice or voucher programs because it allowed individuals to

maintain some dignity by continuing to shop at retail stores and select their own goods. While the national

program ended due to EU regulations, there are some local models that could be investigated further.

Equally important is increased understanding of unmet need, or who is not receiving aid but needs it.

Currently, income is the main criteria to determine eligibility for FEAD food packages, however there may

be qualitative aspects to food insecurity unique to Greek households (i.e. households without electricity to

safely store or cook food, familial connections between urban households and agricultural land in rural

areas, etc.) To date, this information is anecdotal and therefore difficult to build programs around.

40

Understand the Need

We recommend ongoing research on household food insecurity in Greece. Ideally, there should be a

national survey of food insecurity within households to provide a baseline of information that could then be

enhanced through focus groups and more in-depth approaches. An alternative approach would be to focus

on vulnerable populations – children, pregnant women, elderly, disabled, etc.

Recommendation: Engage Greek universities and research NGOs in research on household food

insecurity, perhaps focusing on the most vulnerable populations

Nutrition as an Integral Part of Food Aid

Necessary for survival, food is also integral to Greek culture and social life. In the context of food insecurity,

awareness of need is also an opportunity to reinforce a message of health. The traditional Greek diet

provides a valuable starting point for ongoing support of healthy eating. Potential avenues to engage the

public in discussion of nutrition might include investigative reporting, press releases, and regional

conferences. Linking a nutrition campaign with a school meal program expands the potential reach into

many Greek households.

Recommendation: Advocate for a national campaign to raise awareness about the connection

between food aid and overall nutrition.

Recommendation: Encourage a nutrition education program that aligns with and complements

existing food aid programs, such as providing information sheets about how to cook healthy

meals on a budget or creative ways to make healthy meals with food provided in FEAD packages,

social groceries, etc.

Table 3: Key Recommendations for Improving the Food Aid System in Greece

DIRECT PRODUCTION FOOD RECLAMATION DIRECT FOOD AID CONSUMER CHOICE

Agriculture and urban agriculture

FOOD BANK

SALVAGE

Industry

FEAD

School Meals Social grocery, Soup Kitchens

Solidarity Card / Vouchers

Agriculture needs to be engaged in the food security discussion: procurement, gleaning, farmers’ markets, etc. Urban food production can be supported through new and existing institutions, land access, and technical support.

Nearly all food aid providers are partially dependent on donations received through industry. As inventory/supplies are managed more closely, the amount of surplus goods available for donation has declined. Success requires a well-developed network of partners. Encouraging a network amongst organizations will assist in communication and coordination.

FEAD policy is established by the European Union. Advocate for Greek interests to be reflected in FEAD policies.

School meals reach a critical sector of the population; school provide a site to register families for aid and provide nutrition education. Consider central kitchen.

Support range of direct aid options. Encourage networking and sharing of resources Consider central kitchens for meals

Efforts underway to encourage EU to reconsider solidary card option. Alternative currencies and barter are part of an international movement to “localize” trade.

Nat

ion

al

- Work with Ministries of Agriculture, Social Solidarity, and Rural Development & Food to link rural and agricultural development with food aid - Expand technical assistance in agriculture, rooftop gardening, community gardening, etc.

- Encourage satellite & networked efforts

- Promote international food industry donations

- Consider regional satellite offices to support individual organizations and/or networked efforts

Encourage “culture of volunteerism” among corporations and industry

Assist in registration of those in need through public campaign

Support expansion of pilot projects Encourage ongoing collaborations with universities and researchers related to nutrition and safety

Consider separate, private fund to support voucher program.

Reg

ion

al - Explore potential for land

trust and land banks to make land available to possible farmers, NGOs interested in urban agriculture, etc.

Encourage connections with agriculture; access to perishable goods Encourage regional networking that encourages cooperation and coordination of funding and industrial donation distribution.

Explore potential for food hubs, commissaries, and central kitchens for food processing and meal production at larger scale

Loca

l

- Encourage cooperative farms and community gardens. - Engage universities and others in technical assistance.

- Encourage culture of volunteerism in all sectors of food aid - Share data bases and inventories

Material needs (refrigeration, trucks, etc.) Technical assistance in nutrition, food safety.

Next Steps

We conclude this report with conviction that Greece has the potential to be a model for a sustainable food

aid system. Along with the daunting prospect of a “new normal” that requires ongoing provision of food

aid, there is also a promising foundation of programs actively seeking food sources and distributing food to

those in need. This report has provided a lens to identify the efforts of various stakeholder groups –

government, civil society, and private sector – in order to understand their approach, capacity, challenges,

and needs. By framing this emerging understanding of Greek emergency food aid in light of international

models and current discourse on best practices, we see opportunities to support multi-sectoral

collaboration that will increase overall system resiliency and reach.

The research team feels strongly that the next step in this process is to engage key food-aid organization

leadership, advocates, and educators in a dialogue to shape a shared vision and support an emerging

collaborative culture. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is uniquely positioned to enable this important step

through distribution of this report and consequent invited workshop or focus groups in Greece. Many of the

international experts consulted as part of this research project, after learning more about the Greek

context, voiced their enthusiasm to stay involved, engage in dialogue with Greek organizations, and provide

technical assistance, as appropriate.

Prefacing or concurrent to this effort, we propose further study of the agriculture and agro-food sectors’

capacity to become part of the food aid system. This effort potentially intersects with the ongoing

Recharging the Youth / New Agriculture for a New Generation project. Proposals included in this report,

such as centralized kitchens and commissaries to serve school meal programs and regional food hubs, may

simultaneously address food aid as well as job development and enterprise creation.

The research team unanimously agrees that this opportunity to investigate Greek food aid and imagine its

potential has left us all eager to stay involved and help in the evolution of a sustainable food aid system for

Greece. It has been a pleasure to work on this project. We have benefited from the openness of Greek

participants and have shared in their passion to address current need and move Greece forward out of a

“crisis” way of thinking and into sustainable practices. This project has enabled us to forge new

relationships and new ways of thinking. We look forward to the prospect of ongoing engagement.

Thank you.

43

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Appendix A. Semi-structured Interview Questions Name: _______________________________ Organization: _________________________ Role/Position Title: _____________________ Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed! Due to the economic crisis in Greece, an unprecedented number of families are struggling to address hunger and food insecurity. In response, there has been a rise in social programs to assist families and improve the emergency food system in Greece. Our team is initiating a study to understand the magnitude and trends of the food aid problem in Greece, to assess the effectiveness of these social programs vis-à-vis the needs, and propose potential, impactful interventions. The food insecurity study is a 4-month project that involves fieldwork in Athens and possibly Thessaloniki to interview organization staff, administrators, and others, as well as visit some key sites like foodbanks and community –based programs. On this trip, we are interviewing key organizations in Athens to learn about existing programs and gain perspective on what people experts like yourself see as opportunities to improve food access. We will also look at international models for insights into various strategies to address emergency food planning and delivery. Our hope is to engage multiple experts in the areas of public health, nutrition, community and non-profit organizations, and related fields so that our report is appropriately broad and interdisciplinary to address the needs in Greece. We hope this is an ongoing conversation. We want to limit our questions for now. However, we may send your organization an additional survey with more specific information as needed after today’s interview. First, we want to ask you some questions about your organization’s work. Please keep in mind that not all questions may be relevant to your organization. Any information that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Background Information – About Your Organization 1. Was providing food to those in need always a part of your organization’s mission? If not, when did your food aid programs begin? Collaboration/ Partnerships 2. What organization, or kind of organization, would you most like to partner with, to address food insecurity in Greece? 3. Are there others groups that you think would be a valuable partner in your work and if so, why? Advocacy 4. Are there any challenges and/or barriers your organization has faced now or in the past? If yes, are they frequent or infrequent occurrences? Please explain.

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Possible examples: quantity and consistency of food donations/access, technology [e.g., computer, Internet access] transportation, food storage, labor, volunteers, external restrictions [e.g., regulations], funding, etc. 5. What obstacles prevent your organization from doing an even better job in terms of meeting client’s needs for food? (e.g., government regulations, lack of freezers, limited volunteers for staffing, overwhelming need for services, lack of food) 6. If financial resources were not a concern in addressing hunger and food insecurity, what are some programs that could be incredibly effective, besides just buying food for everyone? Systems and Policy Now, we would like to learn about the larger food system and food access in Greece: 7. What is the nature of food insecurity in Greece and how has it changed over the recent years? 8. What kind of food aid do you find most useful for the Greek people? For example, perishable, non-perishable, prepared meals, or cash money for shopping. Where are the gaps in what is currently provided? 9. What are the largest resources and greatest strengths that Greek society currently has for addressing the hunger crisis? These can be economic, social, religious, geographic, or any kind of resources that you think can be major assets for organizations trying to solve this problem. 10. Would like to thank you for taking the time today in answering questions for us. Do you have any other thoughts or idea that you would like to share with us about the Greek economy crisis and its impact on food security?

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Appendix B: Greek Interviews and Site Visits VISIT DATE Government Officials

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

9/1 @3pm Prefecture of Athens

Katerina Thanopoulou

(30)213-206-3677

id.koinpol@patt.gov.gr

Region of Attica, 15-17 Syngrou Ave., 117 43 Athens - Greece

9/2 @5pm US Embassy Lida Dimitriou

(30)210-720-2317

DimitriouLM@state.gov

91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens, Greece

Elena Alexaki (30)210-7202359 AlexakiEH@state.gov

91 Vasilisis Sophias Avenue, 10160 Athens, Greece

9/2 @1pm

Vice Mayer for Social Solidarity Maria Stratigaki

(30)210-5210607

m.stratigaki@athens.gr

Agiou Konstantinou 14, 8th floor, Athens

9/1 @3pm

Minister for Social Solidarity

Minister Theano Foutiou

Stadiou 27 and Dragatsaniou, Athens

8/29 @3pm

Advisor to Ministry of Agriculture

Charalambos Kasimis kasimisc@gmail.com

VISIT DATE Food Banks

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

9/1 @9:30am Food Bank of Athens Nentas Dimitris

(30)210-622-0025 traptrof@otenet.gr 124, Krioneriou Ave

Phone interview FareShare Greece Efi Georgiadou

(44) 777-5784310

efi.georgiadou@faresharegreece.com

11/28 Food Bank of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Karakatsanis

Mobile: 6972242571

Palaiologou 67 Stavroupoli, Thessaloniki

VISIT DATE Food Industry

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

8/31 @12pm

AB Vassilopoulos Supermarket Alexia Macheras

(30)210-660-8483 Amachera@ag.gr

81, Spaton Avenue, Gerakas - Attiki, PO Box 60011-15310 Ag., Paraskevi - Greece

9/1 @ 12pm

Association of Food Industry Companies/SEVT

Evangelos Kaloussis (President)

(30)210-671-1177 sevt@sevt.gr

340 Kifissias Av, 15451 Neo Psychico

Vasso Papadimitriou (Director General) vaspap@sevt.gr

VISIT DATE Food Reclamation

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

8/30 @9:30am Boroume (NGO)

Alexander Theodoridis

(30)210-323-7805 info@boroume.gr

2, Kairi str., GR-105 51, Athens - Greece

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VISIT DATE School Meals

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

8/31 @10am Prolepsis (NGO) Dr. Athena Linos

(30)210-625-5700 diatrofi@prolepsis.gr

7, Fragoklisias str., 151 25, Marousi, Athens-Greece

Afroditi Veloudaki

(30)210-625-5700

a.veloudaki@prolepsis.gr

Alexandros Gryparis

(30)210-625-5700, x112

a.gryparis@prolepsis.gr

Anna-Maria Haviaris

(30)210-619-6683-dir

a.haviaris@prolepsis.gr

VISIT DATE

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

Church - Led Soup Kitchens

11/2 @ 11:30am Agios Pavlos Father Kastanas 2104319830

Chiou-Kritis and 33 Psaron, Athens, (near Larissis Station)

VISIT DATE

Community - Led Solidarity Groups (Soup kitchen and Social grocery)

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

10/31 @ 2:30pm Plision Pavlos Korovessis 6977663348

pkorovessis@gmail.com 14 Armodiou, Athens

11/1 @ 3pm

Allos Anthropos (other human being)

Konstantinos Polixronopoulos 6940882355

oallosauthropos@gmail.com

Office location: 55 Plataion and Paramythias st

10/31 @ 12pm

Solidarity Piraeus (Social Grocery - Membership) Kostas Karras

0030 211 2105782; 0030 210 4123952 ; Cell: 6972-550051

solidaritypiraas@gmail.com

49 Evripidou st., Piraeus

VISIT DATE

Government-Community collaborations of Soup kitchens and Social groceries

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

11/4 @ ~12

Municipality of Metamorfosi Ms. Pateli

Cell: 697-406-6288; 2102845008

pateli1975@yahoo.gr 21 Korinthou, Metamorfosi

11/4 @ 10am Municipality of Acharnes Ms. Sachsanidou

2132123105, 2132072468, 6978025305, 6936146772

antidkoint@acharnes.gr; personal email: esahsanigou@hotmail.com Ippaion and 1 Meg.Vasileiou

10/31 @ 10am Peristeri Social Grocery

Panagiotis Margaronis

0030 210 771176; 0030 210 5757209; 0030 210 5730096 kipoda@kipoda.gr 1, Lakonias st, Peristeri

11/2 @ 3pm

Municipality of Agia Paraskevi

Ms. Manolopoulou/ Ms. Kanellou

2106546342, 6946115162 / 6937483121

koinoniki@agiaparaskevi.gr

17 28th Oktovriou, Agia Paraskevi

11/3 @ 4pm KYADA

Chyrssa Giannopoulou

Mobile: 0030 6973 65 27 01

xrisagian@yahoo.gr ; seckyada@otenet.gr

70 Sofokleous and 35 Pireos St, 10552 Athens

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VISIT DATE

Church-Government collaborations of Soup kitchens and Social groceries

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

11/4 @ 4pm Kallithea Social Grocery Stella Paziou

Cell: 698-446-8386; 0030 213 0184400 or 0030 210 9403902

foodbankagis@mkoapostoli.gr 9A Agisilaou st., Kallithea

VISIT DATE Urban Agriculture

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

11/1 @11am Boroume

Anna Cambouropoulou 210 3237805 info@boroume.gr

GPS coordinates: 37.981769, 23.994522

VISIT DATE Other NGOs

CONTACT (Name) PHONE # Contact Email Address Mailing Address

8/31 @2pm

Apostoli (Holy of Archdiocese of Athens)

Vasileios Meichanetsidis (30)2130184446 info@mkoapostoli.gr

8, Iras and Despos Sechou Str, 11743 Neos Kosmos

8/30 @12pm SOS Children's Village Stergios Sifnios

(30)210-331-3661, x108

stergiossifnios@sos-villages.gr

12-14, Kar. Servias str., Athens 105 62, Greece

Appendix C: Map of Case Study Locations

Key 1 AB Vassilopoulos Supermarket 2 Agricultural University Of Athens 3 Boroume (main office) 4 Food Bank - Greece 5 Prolepsis - Institute Of Preventive Medicine,

Environmental & Occupational Health 6 Prefecture Of Athens 7 SEVT - Federation Of Hellenic Food Industries 8 Stavros Niarchos Foundation 9 SOS Children'S Villages 10 U.S. Embassy Athens 11 Apostoli (Holy Archdiocese Of Athens)

12 Municipality Of Athens, Vice Mayer For Social

Solidarity 13 Agios Pavlos, Near The Central Train Station

(Larissis) 14 Plision 15 Allos Anthropos (Other Human Being) 16 Solidarity Piraeus (Social Grocery - Membership) 17 Municipality Of Metamorfosi 18 Municipality Of Acharnes 19 Kallithea Social Grocery 20 Peristeri Social Grocery 21 Municipality Of Agia Paraskevi 22 KYADA 23 Boroume (field off-site)

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Appendix D. Rutgers Greek Food Aid and Food Security Workshop Attendees

Rutgers Workshop Attendees

Name Title Organization Maria Kapsokefalou Professor of Nutrition and Rector Agricultural University of Athens

Chip Palliex President and Founder America's Grow-A-Row

Julie Rusin Intern America's Grow-A-Row

Martin Caraher Professor of Food and Health Policy City University, London (via Skype)

Jim Zullo Executive Director Elijah's Promise (New Brunswick, New Jersey)

Kristina Guttadora Executive Director Farmers Against Hunger

Justin Block Senior Manager, Retail Information Services Feeding America

Kim Prendergast Nutrition Consultant Feeding America

Jeff Mills Founder and CEO Genuine Foods

Chris Rebstock Senior Vice President Global Food Bank Network

Julie Jerome Community Partnerships Coordinator New Brunswick Family Success Center and PRAB (project manager)

Beth Feehan Farm to School Program Coordinator NJ Department of Agriculture

Kevin Lyons Associate Professor of Professional Practice Rutgers Business School of Newark and New Brunswick

Kenneth Karamichael Director, NJAES Office of Continuing Professional Education Rutgers University

Bob Goodman Executive Dean of School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Rutgers University

Laura Lawson Dean of Agricultural and Urban Programs, Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture Rutgers University

Lucas Marxen Assistant Director of Research Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences Rutgers University

Cara Cuite Associate Research Professor, Department of Human Ecology Rutgers University

Ethan Schoolman Assistant Professor, Department of Human Ecology Rutgers University

Virginia Quick Assistant Research Professor Rutgers University

Carol Byrd-Bredbenner Professor and Extension Specialist, Department of Nutritional Sciences Rutgers University

Nurgul Fitzgerald Extension Specialist in Health Promotion and Behavior, Department of Nutritional Sciences Rutgers University

Salome Papaspyrou Rao Assistant Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences Rutgers University

Meredith Taylor Research Associate, Office of Agriculture and Urban Programs Rutgers University

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Appendix E. List of Tours and Meetings During the Week of the Workshop

Meetings and Tours

Name Title Organization

Chip Palliex President and Founder America's Grow-A-Row

Jim Zullo Executive Director Elijah's Promise

Tim Vogel Director of Food Sourcing Hillside Community Food Bank of New Jersey

Lauren Errickson Program Coordinator, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

New Brunswick Community Farmers Market

Susan Stephenson-Martin Senior Program Coordinator Central Jersey Region

New Jersey Supplemental Nutrition and Education Program (SNAP-Ed) and Expanded Food and Nutrition Program (EFNEP)

Dwayne Curry Sr. Project Administrator New Jersey SNAP-Ed/EFNEP

Kerri Willson Director, Office of Campus Living and Community Partnerships

Office Campus Living and Community Partnerships, Rutgers Food Pantry

Kristen Bussenger Director of Business Development Revolution Foods

Amanda Bialek Rutgers Against Hunger Coordinator Rutgers University

John Grande Director

Synder Research and Extension Farm, Rutgers Center for Sustainable Agriculture