About Food Rescue

What is “food rescue” and why is it important?

Food rescue is the distribution of quality, edible food that would otherwise have been discarded, to populations suffering from nutritional insecurity.

In Israel, as in all developed countries, there is a tremendous abundance of food. But the dark side of this abundance is that far more food that can ever be eaten is grown, brought to market, purchased and served. Millions of tons of healthy, fresh food are wasted or destroyed because of excess quantity, minor imperfections, or financial cost.

Food waste has severe consequences for society, the environment, and the economy. Food rescue addresses these problems by productively using surplus food instead of destroying it. 

What food do we rescue?

In 2023 Leket enabled: 

• The rescue and purchase of 32,127 metric tons (70.84 million lbs.) of fresh produce from 704 farms and packing houses

• The rescue and purchase of 2.3 million hot meals from 126 suppliers

What do we do with the rescued food?

The heart of Leket Israel is the complex logistical operation of sourcing, collecting, and transporting surplus food to where it is needed. Stringent food safety standards and Ministry of Health guidelines are maintained throughout the process. With Leket’s fleet of 27 refrigerated trucks and vans, our staff and volunteers transport thousands of tons of rescued food throughout the country.

All rescued produce is brought to the logistics center or other cold storage facilities, where it is sorted, stored, and prepared for delivery to one of our 330 nonprofit partners.

All rescued cooked food is either brought directly from where it was cooked to a recipient nonprofit partner, or brought to one of our regional hubs to be stored overnight and reheated the following morning for timely service of a hot lunch.

Who receives the rescued food?

The food rescued by Leket Israel is distributed to 296 nonprofit organizations, including homeless shelters, soup kitchens, elderly centers, battered women’s centers, community help organizations, and schools for at-risk youth. These nonprofit partners serve the food to approximately 270,000 Israelis in need every week, regardless of age, gender, religion, or ethnic background.