Research examining a large philanthropic food-aid network highlights the need for better data, coordination and oversight as charities play a growing role in addressing food insecurity in high-income countries.

As food insecurity persists across high-income countries, charitable organizations and food banks are playing an increasingly important role in helping households access food. A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Sheba Medical Center examines the scale and structure of one such system and raises questions about how philanthropic food aid should fit within national food security policy.

Published in Food Policy, the study provides the first comprehensive national mapping of Israel’s philanthropic food-aid network. Researchers identified 2,289 active food-aid NGOs, revealing a large and rapidly expanding system supported primarily by philanthropy rather than public funding. The study assesses the network through three dimensions commonly used to evaluate food-aid systems: effectiveness, efficiency and equity.

The research, led by Moran Accos and Prof. Aron M. Troen from the Hebrew University alongside Dr. Orly Tamir from Sheba Medical Center, comes as charitable food assistance is playing a growing role in a number of high-income countries. Similar patterns have been documented in the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada, where food banks and other charitable providers have expanded amid persistent or rising demand.

The scale of the network examined in the study is substantial. Among organizations reporting financial data, combined annual turnover reached NIS 6.18 billion (approximately US$1.64 billion). Only 13% of reported turnover came from state allocations, with much of the remaining activity supported through domestic and international donations and in-kind contributions. Reporting organizations also accounted for more than 28,000 salaried employees and 173,000 volunteers.

Despite the scale of these resources, the researchers found significant gaps in the data needed to evaluate their impact. Most organizations provide food products rather than vouchers, but available records do not systematically capture the quantity of food distributed, its nutritional composition, sourcing pathways or final distribution. The researchers therefore could not fully assess whether the network delivers assistance effectively, efficiently and equitably.

The study also identified disparities between the distribution of registered food-aid organizations and patterns of need. Only 4% of registered food-aid NGOs were classified as operating in Arab communities, despite substantially higher reported rates of food insecurity among Arab households. Geographic differences were also evident: 29% of NGOs operated in the Jerusalem region compared with 9% in the North, although both regions have high levels of poverty and account for similar shares of the population.

These findings do not establish that charitable food assistance is ineffective. Rather, they highlight how difficult it can be to evaluate a large, decentralized system when standardized information about recipients, food quality, nutritional value and outcomes is limited.

“From a health system perspective, food insecurity is not only a social issue but a clinical one,” said Dr. Orly Tamir. “When access to adequate nutrition depends on fragmented charitable systems, the consequences are reflected in population health, disparities, and long-term system burden.”

Across several high-income countries, philanthropic food-aid networks have expanded and, in some cases, have become an important part of the infrastructure responding to food insecurity. The researchers argue that this makes questions of regulation, transparency, coordination and the relationship between charitable and public provision increasingly important. The study places these findings within an ongoing international debate over whether philanthropic food aid complements public welfare systems or, in some circumstances, fills gaps that might otherwise require greater state provision.

“Our findings show both the strength and the limits of philanthropy,” said Prof. Aron M. Troen. “Civil society does extraordinary work, but a modern state cannot rely on charity alone to ensure access to healthy food. The real question is whether aid is being delivered equitably, effectively, and transparently – and whether philanthropy is complementing public responsibility or being asked to replace it.”

The study is careful about drawing conclusions on that question. The available administrative data do not allow researchers to directly link households receiving public benefits with those receiving NGO assistance. The findings instead identify a mismatch between need, public expenditure and philanthropic resources that warrants further investigation into how public and charitable food assistance interact.

“Helping families facing food insecurity is an immediate moral imperative,” said Moran Accos. “But the policy challenge is year-round. A country cannot treat food security only as a temporary or seasonal act of generosity. It must also ask whether the system is fair, whether it reaches those most in need, and whether public institutions are taking sufficient responsibility.”

The authors call for more systematic data collection, stronger oversight, nutritional standards and better coordination between charitable organizations and public policy. As philanthropic food-aid networks expand across high-income countries, the researchers argue that clearer frameworks are needed to assess whether assistance reaches populations according to need, provides adequate nutrition, and effectively complements public efforts to address food insecurity.