Food bank are getting into the carbon credit business

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🗞️ Driving the news: The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN) has developed a new carbon accounting methodology — Food Recovery to Avoid Methane Emissions (FRAME) — to quantify the emissions avoided by rescuing surplus food and redistributing it to people in need
• Piloted in Mexico and Ecuador, the system aims to help food banks in 14 countries potentially sell carbon credits as a funding source amid shrinking foreign aid
• FRAME is now under review for certification by the Gold Standard, a leading voluntary carbon market verifier.

🔭 The context: Food waste accounts for 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from methane released when organic waste decomposes in landfills
• Food banks have long played an informal role in emissions prevention by intercepting surplus food before it spoils
• However, the voluntary carbon market — where such avoided-emissions credits would be sold — has faced widespread criticism for questionable integrity, overstated climate benefits, and weak verification systems
• Critics warn that poorly designed avoided-emissions credits risk enabling corporate greenwashing.

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: If rigorously verified, FRAME could create a transparent pathway for measuring and rewarding methane avoidance through food rescue, connecting food security efforts with climate mitigation
• However, methodological flaws or overestimated benefits could undermine credibility and perpetuate problems in voluntary carbon markets
• For food banks, the approach could provide essential revenue to expand operations, particularly in the Global South, where reliance on foreign aid makes them financially vulnerable.

⏭️ What's next: Gold Standard’s review will determine whether FRAME can be used to issue certified credits in voluntary carbon markets
• If approved, participating food banks will need to implement robust monitoring, reporting, and verification to demonstrate genuine, additional, and permanent climate benefits
• The methodology could also influence national food waste strategies and feature in discussions at the upcoming UN climate summit, where better integration of food systems into emissions accounting is expected.

💬 One quote: “All the scandals around voluntary carbon markets are associated with the rigor of the monitoring, reporting, and verification schemes… If carbon credit sales are growing and global temperatures are also continuing to rise, then something is not correct.” — Ana Catalina Suarez Peña, Head of Strategy and Innovation, GFN

📈 One stat: Most food banks in the GFN network operate with an annual budget of $1 million or less, making even small funding losses a potential operational threat

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