Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület

What Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület does

Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület (Hungarian Food Bank Association) is a nonprofit association (Egyesület) under Hungarian law, founded in 2005 by 13 friends and headquartered at 1172 Budapest, Lokátor út 3. It operates Hungary's largest food rescue network, collecting near-expiry and packaging-damaged surplus food from 800+ retail stores and dozens of food manufacturers daily, and redistributing it through 700+ partner charitable organizations to 400+ distribution points nationwide. The organization reaches 250,000 people in need each year and has cumulatively rescued 130 million kg of food (300+ million portions) over 20 years.

The service portfolio is layered. Core logistics operate out of a 3,000 nm donation warehouse and rely on the proprietary FoodForFree online platform to connect smaller retailers and catering venues with registered charities for surplus donation. Additional programs include Europe's largest school lunch rescue network (350,000 portions per school year), a prepared food rescue service anchored by Europe's first dedicated rescue truck (collecting untouched restaurant-quality food from conferences and corporate events), a non-food product rescue program (hygiene, school supplies, IT equipment), twice-yearly large-scale public food collection campaigns yielding ~500,000 kg per long weekend, the JótéKonyha sustainable catering service, charity cooking events, and the "Esélyt az ételnek!" (Chance for Food!) educational awareness program. Hungary's NÉBIH food safety authority co-developed a sector guide for prepared food rescue with the organization, and it is a member of the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) operating across 30 countries.

The organization is funded through individual and corporate monetary donations, government grants, corporate CSR partnerships, the Hungarian 1% personal income tax designation, and revenue from JótéKonyha catering. Food is received and distributed free of charge. It is governed by an Elnökség (Presidium), a Felügyelő Bizottság (Supervisory Board), and a professional management team, with 25 staff supported by 8,500 volunteers annually. The organization maintains independence from political, religious, and ideological influences and holds continuous Ethical Fundraising certification since 2012.

Name

Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület

Legal name

Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület

Website

https://elelmiszerbank.hu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület is a Hungarian nonprofit founded in 2005 that rescues surplus food from 800+ retailers and manufacturers and redistributes it through 700+ partner charities to 250,000 people in need annually across Hungary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and grants: Nonprofit organization funded by monetary donations from individuals and corporations, government grants, and corporate social responsibility partnerships. Food donations are received free of charge from retailers and manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület operates Hungary's largest independent charitable food bank, collecting near-expiry and surplus food from 800+ retail stores and dozens of food manufacturers daily and redistributing it free of charge through 700+ charitable partner organizations to 250,000 people in need annually. The organization also runs the JótéKonyha catering service for events, the FoodForFree (FFF) online donation platform for smaller shops, school lunch and prepared food rescue programs, and durable food collection campaigns, all supporting its mission to fight food waste and hunger.

Product overview

Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület operates as a charitable food bank network, not a technology company. Its service portfolio centers on rescuing surplus food from retailers, manufacturers, and events for redistribution to those in need. The organization runs JótéKonyha, a catering service generating revenue for charitable purposes; FoodForFree (FFF), a proprietary online platform enabling smaller food donors to offer surplus; and multiple rescue programs including school lunch rescue, prepared food rescue, non-food product rescue, and public food collection campaigns. The organization coordinates with over 700 partner charities nationwide to distribute food through their established network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FoodForFree (FFF): Own-developed online platform connecting smaller stores and food donors with charitable organizations for food rescue.
• JótéKonyha
• Esélyt az ételnek!

Products and services

• Daily Food Rescue from Retailers and Manufacturers Daily collection of near-expiry, packaging-defective, and surplus food from 800+ retail stores and dozens of food manufacturers across Hungary, redistributed free of charge to people in need through a partner network. Designed for grocery retailers and food manufacturers seeking to redirect surplus inventory from destruction to social impact.
• JótéKonyha Catering Service Professional catering service for corporate and family events offering fresh, sustainably prepared meals with a zero-waste approach, where revenue supports the food bank's charitable mission. Targeted at Hungarian companies and event organizers seeking sustainable catering options.
• FoodForFree (FFF) Online Platform Proprietary online platform enabling smaller shops and catering establishments to list end-of-day surplus food for rescue by registered charitable organizations. Extends daily food rescue coverage to retailers beyond direct pickup routes. Recognized with the 2024 FEBA Innovation Grand Prize.
• School Lunch Rescue Program (Iskolai ebédmentő program) Network service collecting 350,000 portions of untouched leftover school lunches each school year from school cafeterias across Hungary and redistributing them to local social institutions and families in need. Operates as the largest school lunch rescue network in Europe.
• Prepared Food Rescue (Készételmentés) Service rescuing untouched, restaurant-quality food from conferences, corporate events, and gala dinners using Europe's first prepared food rescue truck, recovering near 1 million portions annually. Coordinates directly with event organizers.
• Non-food Product Rescue (Non-food termékek mentése) Program accepting and redistributing non-food surplus including hygiene products, school supplies, and IT equipment from businesses to charitable organizations, extending the food bank's redirect-from-waste mission beyond edible items.
• Public Durable Food Collection Campaigns (Tartósélelmiszer-gyűjtések) Large-scale food collection drives organized twice yearly (May and November) in retail stores, where shoppers collectively donate half a million kilograms of food over each long weekend. Hungary's largest recurring public food drives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 HUF donation = 30 HUF worth of food rescued and distributed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• European Food Banks Federation (FEBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Active member of FEBA, the European Food Banks Federation operating in 30 countries. Won FEBA Innovation Grand Prize in 2024 for FoodForFree platform. Collaborates on international food rescue standards and shares best practices across European food bank network.
• NÉBIH (National Food Chain Safety Office)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped sector guide for untouched prepared food rescue in collaboration with NÉBIH experts, establishing food safety protocols for the hospitality sector.
• Hungarian stores and manufacturers (800+)coreOthers800 retail stores and dozens of food manufacturers donate surplus and near-expiry food daily to the organization.
• Horizon Europe (CHORIZO project)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating in CHORIZO, a Horizon Europe funded international project studying how social norms affect food waste habits.
• SavingFood consortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research consortium exploring how mobile phones can be used to rescue food surplus.
• REFRESH consortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner12 European countries and China collaborating on reducing food waste quantities.
• i-REXFO projectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIFE project supporting charitable use of food surplus and recycling of non-consumable food items.
• Maradékmentes Munkahelyek (Waste-Free Workplaces)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject aimed at reducing workplace food waste and supporting more sustainable daily eating habits through employee engagement.
• AQUILLA & ASCELLA Könyvvizsgáló Kft.minorOthersIndependent auditor (2051 Biatorbágy, Iharos 8804) providing annual financial audits of the organization's operations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• FoodCloud: Irish social enterprise with a tech-enabled food redistribution platform connecting retailers to charities. Direct functional peer for Élelmiszerbank's FoodForFree platform and surplus-food-to-charity technology approach.
• FareShare UK: UK food redistribution charity that rescues surplus food from the food industry for distribution to a network of charities and community groups. Same donor-charity beneficiary model; comparable logistics-heavy operating footprint.
• Bundesverband Deutsche Tafel: Germany's national food bank federation, redistributing surplus food from retailers and manufacturers to ~960 local charities. Directly comparable to Élelmiszerbank in mission, donor model, and downstream charity network structure; the relevant European benchmark for national food bank federation.
• Federacja Polskich Banków Żywności: Polish Federation of Food Banks, the closest geographic and structural peer; redistributes surplus food from retailers and manufacturers through local charities. Comparable scale, CEE operating environment, and store/manufacturer donor model.
• Fondazione Banco Alimentare Italia: Italian national food bank federation operating the Recupero Surplus chain across Italy. Same model: collect near-expiry/surplus food from retailers and manufacturers and redistribute to a charity network; comparable scale and European context to Élelmiszerbank.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: US national food bank network, much larger in scale and operating in a different market. Same underlying model (donor supply → charity network → beneficiaries), useful as a scaled benchmark for Élelmiszerbank's long-term trajectory.
• Too Good To Go: European surplus-meal marketplace operating across 20+ countries via a consumer app. Overlaps with Élelmiszerbank's mission of reducing food waste, but operates as a B2C commercial marketplace rather than charity redistribution.

Emerging players

• Olio: App-based neighbourhood food-sharing platform active across Europe. Partial overlap with Élelmiszerbank's food-surplus rescue mission, but consumer-led share model rather than institutional charity redistribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/elelmiszerbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hungarian-foodbank
• Instagraminstagram.com/elelmiszerbank

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület