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Original language
17.06.2025
Investments in Communication
Today, in progressive youth circles, terms like food-sharing, food bank, and food drive are increasingly common. Food-sharing refers to distributing food that is nearing its expiration date or unwanted products. A food drive means purchas- ing food and leaving it in a designated spot, usually a basket near the checkout counter. These two types can be grouped under a broader category: the food bank. While such systems are present in many countries around the world, one may ask: Do they exist and truly function in Russia? Does a person in need, say, an 80-year-old know about such a program? Can a person in need easily access the food they require?
Indeed, food banks exist in Russia already since 2012 under the name the “Food Bank Rus” (https://foodbankrus.ru/)1. But is it widely known? Does an aver- age elderly person without internet access know about it? Does someone who shops at their local Pyaterochka know this program exists? I doubt it.
Another challenge emerges on the business side: disposing of food is cheaper than donating it to a food bank or redistributing it. According to the NGO Food-sharing, for large businesses, disposal is 2–3.5 times cheaper than organizing food-sharing. Large companies that donate food to food-sharing services are still required to pay VAT of up to 20% of the product’s value. If the food is simply dis- carded, there is no such obligation.
“To put it simply, when a product expires, we remove it from the shelf and dispose of it”, says a representative from the X5 Group, “In this case, we do not pay VAT because the product was not sold, but we pay for the disposal process. Food-sharing allows us to ‘rescue’ products a couple of days before expiration and put them to good use by giving them to people. In this case, we do not sell or profit from the product, but current legislation still requires us to pay VAT. As a result, it is cheaper to wait until the product expires and dispose of it than to remove it early and donate it for food-sharing”2.
In short, food-sharing exists but barely. Food donations are welcome, but busi- nesses are unwilling to pay VAT. It is simply easier and more profitable to throw food away. And if food-sharing exists, it is only in a few major cities. “People have been discussing food-sharing in Russia for years, but the barriers preventing its development still have not been eliminated”3.
In the end, only internet-savvy youth seem aware of food-sharing. But are they truly the ones in need? Among my acquaintances, people using such services ohen have above-average salaries and could easily afford food, but they use food-sharing to save money. Then comes the added factor: ecology, emissions, and so on.
In Germany and Finland, there are walk-in stores for people in need. With a special card confirming low-income status a person can shop once a week, paying a fixed fee of around 4 euros and taking as much as they need. As many say in Ger- many, “You can live poor, but you will not starve”.
It would be wonderful to see a similar system grow in Russia or to raise aware- ness and accessibility of the one already in place. Is there a mechanism for solving this challenge? Absolutely. Especially since, in terms of digital infrastructure, we are far ahead of Germany and Finland. We could easily develop a system to notify vulnerable populations.
One possible solution is removing tax barriers for businesses. A business will never act against its own financial interest, no matter how noble the intent. According to the Food Bank Rus, lihing these tax barriers could allow for the redis- tribution of around 1.2 million tons of food — enough to feed all Russians in difficult life circumstances4.
Earlier, we mentioned large retail chains, but small businesses also want to participate. Another category is restaurants. 10% of prepared food ends up in the trash every day. Along with food banks, restaurants could also offer discounts on meals to anyone interested. It is still better than simply throwing the food away.
There are also individuals with food surpluses such as gardeners who experience bumper harvests of fruits and vegetables. But what do you do aher you have already shared with family and friends? As a gardener myself, I ohen wondered: why cannot we donate the surplus somewhere? Not to the other side of the city but through nearby drop-off points.
Earlier, we discussed Russia’s attempt to solve this issue. Just an attempt because beyond potential from the business and government sides there must be will. Here we face a connected system: state — business (large and small) — final consumer. Everyone in this chain should be able to listen and be heard. If it is easier to send products to a landfill, there will be no help. The key word is easier.
When we talk about the future of the world, as mentioned earlier, some places have found solutions while others have not. African countries immediately come to mind. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), up to 1.3 billion tons of food are discarded globally each year, which is almost one-third of total production. In the developed world, this is an even bigger issue: collectively, they waste almost as much food (222 million tons) as all of sub-Saharan Africa pro- duces (230 million tons)5. It is clear that delivering perishable goods, like dairy, is unfeasible, but dry goods, such as grains or pasta, certainly are. Tangible food is clearly more valuable than the abstract reports from large organizations tallying donations, while the actual aid remains elusive.
On a global scale, we see a different chain: state — state — business — con- sumer. That is, two governments and a set of their international standards for coop- eration.
The first step has been taken: the Russian government has been tasked with removing VAT on food and goods donations by June 1.6 Let us hope that the mecha- nism truly begins to function and is covered in the media so that more people know this program exists and that it is available here in our country.
Indeed, food banks exist in Russia already since 2012 under the name the “Food Bank Rus” (https://foodbankrus.ru/)1. But is it widely known? Does an aver- age elderly person without internet access know about it? Does someone who shops at their local Pyaterochka know this program exists? I doubt it.
Another challenge emerges on the business side: disposing of food is cheaper than donating it to a food bank or redistributing it. According to the NGO Food-sharing, for large businesses, disposal is 2–3.5 times cheaper than organizing food-sharing. Large companies that donate food to food-sharing services are still required to pay VAT of up to 20% of the product’s value. If the food is simply dis- carded, there is no such obligation.
“To put it simply, when a product expires, we remove it from the shelf and dispose of it”, says a representative from the X5 Group, “In this case, we do not pay VAT because the product was not sold, but we pay for the disposal process. Food-sharing allows us to ‘rescue’ products a couple of days before expiration and put them to good use by giving them to people. In this case, we do not sell or profit from the product, but current legislation still requires us to pay VAT. As a result, it is cheaper to wait until the product expires and dispose of it than to remove it early and donate it for food-sharing”2.
In short, food-sharing exists but barely. Food donations are welcome, but busi- nesses are unwilling to pay VAT. It is simply easier and more profitable to throw food away. And if food-sharing exists, it is only in a few major cities. “People have been discussing food-sharing in Russia for years, but the barriers preventing its development still have not been eliminated”3.
In the end, only internet-savvy youth seem aware of food-sharing. But are they truly the ones in need? Among my acquaintances, people using such services ohen have above-average salaries and could easily afford food, but they use food-sharing to save money. Then comes the added factor: ecology, emissions, and so on.
In Germany and Finland, there are walk-in stores for people in need. With a special card confirming low-income status a person can shop once a week, paying a fixed fee of around 4 euros and taking as much as they need. As many say in Ger- many, “You can live poor, but you will not starve”.
It would be wonderful to see a similar system grow in Russia or to raise aware- ness and accessibility of the one already in place. Is there a mechanism for solving this challenge? Absolutely. Especially since, in terms of digital infrastructure, we are far ahead of Germany and Finland. We could easily develop a system to notify vulnerable populations.
One possible solution is removing tax barriers for businesses. A business will never act against its own financial interest, no matter how noble the intent. According to the Food Bank Rus, lihing these tax barriers could allow for the redis- tribution of around 1.2 million tons of food — enough to feed all Russians in difficult life circumstances4.
Earlier, we mentioned large retail chains, but small businesses also want to participate. Another category is restaurants. 10% of prepared food ends up in the trash every day. Along with food banks, restaurants could also offer discounts on meals to anyone interested. It is still better than simply throwing the food away.
There are also individuals with food surpluses such as gardeners who experience bumper harvests of fruits and vegetables. But what do you do aher you have already shared with family and friends? As a gardener myself, I ohen wondered: why cannot we donate the surplus somewhere? Not to the other side of the city but through nearby drop-off points.
Earlier, we discussed Russia’s attempt to solve this issue. Just an attempt because beyond potential from the business and government sides there must be will. Here we face a connected system: state — business (large and small) — final consumer. Everyone in this chain should be able to listen and be heard. If it is easier to send products to a landfill, there will be no help. The key word is easier.
When we talk about the future of the world, as mentioned earlier, some places have found solutions while others have not. African countries immediately come to mind. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), up to 1.3 billion tons of food are discarded globally each year, which is almost one-third of total production. In the developed world, this is an even bigger issue: collectively, they waste almost as much food (222 million tons) as all of sub-Saharan Africa pro- duces (230 million tons)5. It is clear that delivering perishable goods, like dairy, is unfeasible, but dry goods, such as grains or pasta, certainly are. Tangible food is clearly more valuable than the abstract reports from large organizations tallying donations, while the actual aid remains elusive.
On a global scale, we see a different chain: state — state — business — con- sumer. That is, two governments and a set of their international standards for coop- eration.
The first step has been taken: the Russian government has been tasked with removing VAT on food and goods donations by June 1.6 Let us hope that the mecha- nism truly begins to function and is covered in the media so that more people know this program exists and that it is available here in our country.
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