Food banks in the Czech Republic collected 16,600 tonnes of food last year, up 20% year-on-year, providing aid to 430,000 people in need, the Czech Federation of Food Banks announced in a press release released to CTK today.
In 2023, the banks provided 13,200 tonnes of food and other goods for around 400,000 people, according to their annual report.
The growing demand for food aid reflects the fact that up to 10% of the Czech population lives on or below the poverty line. There are 15 food banks in the Czech Republic, with 201 outlets in 2024, up 38 from the previous year.
More than 60% of those supported by food banks last year were single parents, seniors and families. The banks also provided assistance during the September floods, arranging the distribution of over CZK 130 million of humanitarian aid over several days, about 1,000 tonnes of goods.
“We were part of an incredible wave of solidarity from small donors and companies,” said Ales Slavicek, director of the Czech Federation of Food Banks. “Moreover, this aid continues and we are currently still supplying the affected localities with bottled drinking water.”
Last year, about half of the food aid was donated by retail chains, while more than a quarter was donated by producers. The volume of food received from supermarkets increased by 10% year-on-year to 8,800 tonnes, with a total value of CZK 996 million. The twice-yearly food collections, held each spring and autumn, collected 1,249 tonnes of food, up 5% from 2023. Both collections broke previous records, according to the federation.
The Czech Federation of Food Banks aims to increase the volume of food collected to 24,000 tonnes by 2030, and the banks are therefore looking for new ways to get food to those in need. Last year, for example, they increased the efficiency of collections, introduced evening transport, and, most recently, began freezing meat.
In January this year, the Ministry of the Environment announced that it would support the development of domestic food banks with up to CZK 200 million by 2027. Over the past ten years, the ministry has invested more than CZK 504 million in the development of food banks, and previously launched a call for another CZK 50 million. According to its earlier statement, the ministry has allocated another CZK 150 million by the end of the programming period in 2027.
The Ministry of Agriculture also contributes to the operation of the food banks. This year, it will contribute CZK 104 million, compared to CZK 95 million last year.
