LAHORE, Nov 1: The Global FoodBanking Networking (GFN) the only global non-profit organisation dedicated to creating, supporting and strengthening food banks and food bank networks for addressing global hunger by providing free food to those who need it is trying to develop Pakistan’s first food bank in Karachi.

“GFN is working with our Mideast partner, The Egyptian Food Bank, to develop the first ever food bank in Pakistan,” GFN president and chief executive officer (CEO) Jeffrey Klein told this reporter during a conversation on the sidelines of the World Food Prize Symposium held on Oct 11-14 in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa, a mid western state of the United States.

He said many Pakistanis had approached GFN and its Egyptian partner who were willing to provide capital for the project. “We are forging relationships with government, businesses, civil society and others in Pakistan right now.”

Some 50 countries worldwide have food banks, according to the GFN president. “Each country has its own unique model of food banks according to its own needs and dietary habits of its people,” he noted.

“With one billion people suffering from hunger worldwide we believe food banks are an essential part of the solution for alleviating hunger and improving food security. Each year billions of pounds of food are wasted. Food banking systems capture surplus food and deliver it to the people who need it most, and engage all sectors of society governments, business, and civil society in the process,” Mr Klein said.

Food banks acquire donated food, much of which would otherwise be wasted, from farms, manufacturers, distributors.