Food Donation Program: Collection and distribution of surplus food to social institutions
Educational Activities: Workshops and training on nutrition and food safety
Volunteer Engagement: Opportunities for community involvement in food distribution
Sesc Mesa Brasil is Brazil’s largest food bank and a flagship social initiative operated by Sesc (Serviço Social do Comércio). Launched with the mission to combat hunger and reduce food waste, the program collects surplus food and redistributes it to vulnerable communities and charitable institutions across Brazil. Combining humanitarian action with educational outreach, Sesc Mesa Brasil represents a robust, systemic solution to food insecurity and social inequality.
Sesc Mesa Brasil was established in 1994 and has grown into a nationwide reference for organized food solidarity. What began as a localized effort to connect food surpluses with charitable institutions has evolved into a network of over 90 distribution centers in all Brazilian states. By institutionalizing food recovery and offering nutrition education, the initiative bridges the gap between abundance and need.
Over the decades, Mesa Brasil has formalized partnerships with thousands of companies in the food industry, logistics, agriculture, and retail sectors. The program has received multiple recognitions for its role in food security and sustainable development.
Sesc Mesa Brasil’s operations are anchored in three strategic pillars:
The program is structured to accept safe, edible food items that would otherwise go to waste due to packaging issues, near-expiration dates, or cosmetic imperfections. These items are redistributed to pre-screened charitable organizations including shelters, daycare centers, elder care institutions, and food kitchens.
Sesc Mesa Brasil’s unique strengths include:
Its innovative model blends humanitarian aid with systemic social transformation, making it a blueprint for food security programs globally.
As a nonprofit initiative under Sesc, Mesa Brasil is funded through:
Key performance indicators from 2023 include:
Although not a commercial entity, Sesc Mesa Brasil operates a national supply chain of rescued food items that functions at the scale of a major logistics company. Their delivery system ensures cold chain integrity, product traceability, and real-time monitoring of deliveries to social institutions.
Additionally, Sesc Mesa Brasil supports agricultural cooperatives and family farms by incorporating surplus production into their food donation streams.
While Sesc Mesa Brasil is not a for-profit enterprise, its key stakeholders and beneficiaries include:
"Mesa Brasil helped us feed over 200 children weekly while teaching our kitchen staff better hygiene practices."
– Rosa Nascimento, Director, Casa da Criança São Paulo
"As a donor, we value the transparency and professionalism of Mesa Brasil. They make sure nothing goes to waste."
– Felipe Andrade, Logistics Director, Atacadão Supermercados
Sesc Mesa Brasil continues to play a pivotal role in Brazil’s fight against hunger, transforming surplus into sustenance and knowledge into empowerment, with the scale and efficiency of a national institution dedicated to human dignity.
