On 29 April 2026, the Stelios Foundation Conference Hall in Plaka hosted the event “Food Crisis & Food Insecurity: From Research to Practice”. It was organised by the Greek Food Bank and HIGGS, with the support of the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation. Its key message was that food insecurity calls for urgent institutional action and tax incentives.
The Food Donation Law and Policy Atlas for Greece
The event presented the Food Donation Law and Policy Atlas for Greece. This international initiative comes from Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic and the Global Food Banking Network, in cooperation with the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) and the Greek Food Bank. The study reviews the Greek legal framework and proposes specific measures:
- tax incentives for food donors,
- clearer rules on donor liability,
- alignment with international good practice to make redistribution easier.
Kristen McEnroe (Harvard Law School) presented the report as a basis for reform in Greece. Esteban Arriaga Miranda (FEBA) and Samuel Nichols (Global Food Banking Network) stressed that removing institutional barriers is essential for surplus food to reach those who need it.
Cooperation and sustainability
Manolis Grafakos, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment, underlined that reducing food waste requires cooperation among all stakeholders. Fay Makantasi (diaNEOsis) and Rianna Zanni (KPMG) spoke about integrating food donation into corporate sustainability (ESG) strategies.
Two new studies
Dr Sotiris Petropoulos, co-founder of HIGGS and Associate Professor at the University of the Peloponnese, presented a study on the cost of a single meal produced and distributed by charitable organisations in Greece. He also highlighted the need for stronger support for the wider ecosystem. Dimitris Nentas, General Manager of the Greek Food Bank, presented research on food insecurity in the country. He linked its findings to the need to fix institutional problems so that more food can be donated.
The event closed with frontline organisations, including the “Food from the Heart” programme, the Church and Caritas Athens. They shared their day-to-day experience of responding to the food crisis.
Speakers agreed that tackling hunger depends not only on available resources but also on organisation, cooperation and institutional support. Effective food redistribution benefits both social cohesion and the environment.
Read the survey and its main results here