A staff member of Food Bank Vietnam delivers surplus foods collected at Starbucks stores in HCM City to people in need. — Photo courtesy of Food Bank Vietnam

The non-profit Food Bank Vietnam and Starbucks Vietnam on Tuesday signed a strategic cooperation agreement to enhance awareness about food waste reduction and provide quality food supplies to communities in need.

Through this partnership, the two parties are jointly committed to creating a positive impact on communities in need in Việt Nam.

Under the agreement, a pilot programme on reducing food waste has been carried out at selected Starbucks stores in HCM City over the past month, said Nguyễn Tuấn Khởi, chairman of Food Bank Vietnam.

At night, staff members of Food Bank Vietnam collect surplus food which is still edible and safe for human consumption at Starbucks stores and share the food with shelters, homeless people and individuals in need, Khởi said.

The initiative sets the premise for programmes to minimise food waste in the community as well as provide food to communities in need.

Patricia Marques, general manager of Starbucks Vietnam, said: “This agreement is the first stage of our commitment to hunger relief, and we look forward to expanding this meaningful initiative in the future.”

In 2013, Starbucks marked its footprint in Việt Nam by opening its first store in HCM City. There are currently around 100 stores in nine cities and provinces.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) reports that one-third of the world's food is lost or wasted during transportation from production to consumption, causing damage of nearly US$1 trillion annually. — VNS