The city's first large-scale facility dedicated to food rescue and meal production -- the Food Angel Jockey Club Food Production Centre -- opened in Sha Tin on Wednesday, marking a significant step in combating both food waste and hunger.
The new three-story center, supported by over HK$335 million in donations from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, is set to dramatically expand the capacity of the Bo Charity Foundation's Food Angel initiative and its related elderly soft meal program.
Once fully operational, the center will annually recover more than 660 metric tonnes of edible surplus food. This will be transformed into over 11 million regular and soft meals each year, benefiting approximately 45,000 people in need while promoting environmental sustainability.
The facility is equipped with automated production lines and smart supply chain management systems. A key feature includes producing soft meals meeting international dysphagia standards to cater to elderly individuals with swallowing difficulties.
A dedicated three-year program will produce approximately 3.3 million soft meals for around 15,000 underprivileged elderly individuals. The initiative will also host cooking classes for caregivers and mobilize over 32,000 community volunteers to assist with food preparation.
In addition, 100 guided tours or workshops will be organized for over 3,000 participants for them to gain a deeper understanding of soft meals and food waste.
Club Steward Jackson Woo Ka-biu highlighted the center as a new milestone in the Jockey Club's partnership with Food Angel, which began in 2013. He said the collaboration exemplifies the Club's strategic focus on enhancing seniors' quality of life through innovative thinking.
