It’s five in the afternoon in one of Surabaya’s narrow alleys when the wooden door of a small house in a narrow alley creaks open, revealing a woman in a modest, faded dress. Her weary smile brightens as she spots a group of young people in green approaching, carrying a plate of yummy, soft, golden roll bread, a kind of fancy food she never imagined she could afford.
But what makes her eyes truly glimmer isn’t just the food itself. It’s how it’s offered — with respect, warmth, and without wounding her dignity — so she receives it gracefully. She isn’t the only one who welcomed the blessed food that day; her neighbors, too, shared in the quiet joy.
With a broad and genuine smile, Bu Mira, one of the food recipients, says softly, “Here, many families are struggling, so there are indeed a lot of people who really need the food delivered by Garda Pangan. When it arrives, we feel truly happy, because we get to taste delicious, healthy, and nutritious food.”
The young people in green are Garda Pangan’s volunteers who regularly distribute food to needy people, keeping their commitment to turning food waste into something meaningful.
But the story behind this small act of kindness began long before the rolls reached her doorstep — in a bustling kitchen filled with trays of untouched meals from a wedding party.
The initiative of Garda Pangan began when Dedi Heryadi, one of the founders, and his wife, who ran a catering business, noticed how much food was being thrown away after the wedding parties and corporate lunches they handled. He explained that food waste at such events was almost inevitable — especially at weddings, where it’s considered taboo for the hosts to run out of food. So, to avoid embarrassment, they always prepared more than enough.
The leftovers, however, were far from scraps. The dishes were untouched, still warm, and perfectly edible. It made them wonder: why should this good food go to waste when so many people struggle to eat? Fortunately, they met Efa, another co-founder, who shared the same vision and helped turn the idea into a movement.
Motivated by this concern, Dedi and his wife decided to find a way to give those meals a second life. Together with Efa Bachtiar, who shared the same concern for food waste, they founded Garda Pangan. This Surabaya-based food bank movement rescues surplus food from hotels, restaurants, and catering services, and redistributes it to needy communities.
Too Much Food, Too Many Hungry
A child stands in a landfill surrounded by discarded food | Doc. Canva
While that simple plate of roll bread brings joy to the woman in that narrow alley, behind this small act of kindness lies a far bigger problem beyond Surabaya to the rest of Indonesia.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, or Kementerian Kehutanan RI (KLHK), Indonesia generated 38.48 million tons of waste in 2023, nearly 40% of which came from leftover food. Since 2018, food waste has consistently dominated the nation’s waste composition. The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) estimates that the economic loss from food waste reaches around Rp500 trillion each year, money that could have nourished millions instead of filling landfills.
Even more alarming, the Food Waste Index Report 2024 by the United Nations Environment Program reveals that Indonesia ranks as Southeast Asia’s largest household food waste producer — and the eighth in the world — wasting 14.73 million tons of food each year.
If all that food had been saved, it could have nourished up to 125 million people, nearly half of Indonesia’s population. The economic toll is enormous, with losses reaching Rp551 trillion annually, while food waste also contributes 7.29% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
In other words, while one side of the city goes to bed hungry, another throws away food that is still good enough to serve. This painful contrast is what Garda Pangan is determined to change.
From ‘Ugly’ Fruits and Vegetables to a Beautiful Purpose
Morning light spills over the fields outside Surabaya. The ground is soft from last night’s dew, and between the rows of crops, Garda Pangan volunteers bend and lift, collecting what the farmers couldn’t sell — vegetables still fresh, only a little imperfect.
These are the so-called ugly fruits and vegetables — crooked carrots, misshapen eggplants, or cabbages too small for supermarket shelves. To the market, they’re rejects. To the farmers, they’re a loss. And so, tons of perfectly edible produce are left to rot every harvest season simply because they don’t look “pretty” enough to sell.
A volunteer shows a melon that is actually edible | Doc. Youtube Garda Pangan
Globally, 20–40% of food never even reaches store shelves, often discarded for its imperfect shape or color. The same story repeats in Indonesia: farmers throw away good harvests not because they’re spoiled, but because the market won’t take them.
That’s where Garda Pangan steps in. Through one of their programs, gleaning: collecting leftover crops directly from farms, the volunteers rescue what would otherwise go to waste. Under the heat of the morning sun, they bend, pick, and sort each vegetable carefully, filling basket after basket with produce that still holds color, scent, and life.
Once collected, the vegetables are sorted again at the Garda Pangan warehouse. Some are delivered to needy families; others become nutritious meals for shelters and orphanages. What began as unwanted produce is transformed into nourishment, hope, and dignity.
Because in the hands of those who care, even “ugly” food can serve a beautiful purpose.
From Food Waste to Solving Social Issues
Doc. Youtube channel Garda Pangan
While food waste is an underrated issue that most people take for granted, Garda Pangan found it a door to solve many social issues among people, particularly in the Surabaya area.
It is about delivering decent surplus food to needy people and expanding its actions to more varied programs to aim for one goal: to help people and the Earth.
Through its initiatives, Garda Pangan aligns its work with several key points of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Zero Hunger & Good Health and Well-Being
By distributing nutritious, ready-to-eat meals to food-insecure families, Garda Pangan directly addresses hunger and helps improve community health.
Sustainable Cities and Communities
In cities where poverty and abundance coexist side by side, Garda Pangan bridges the gap. Its system connects surplus food from hotels, restaurants, and catering industries with urban communities in need, creating a cycle that reduces waste while strengthening social solidarity.
Responsible Production and Consumption
Garda Pangan also takes the fight to the public through education and awareness campaigns that encourage more mindful food consumption. By teaching people to take only what they need, to store food properly, and to value every meal, the organization inspires everyday action that leads to systemic change.
Doc. Garda Pangan Website
“Because Garda Pangan has multiple goals, unlike other movements focusing solely on one issue. Garda Pangan addresses food issues and social issues as well. We also improve nutrition and the economy. That’s what attracted me to joining Garda Pangan.” Dwi, one of the volunteers, explains why he joined the movement.
Families in many parts of the city still struggle to put food on the table. When Garda Pangan comes with rescued meals, it lightens their burden — one dinner at a time. For businesses that donate, it’s a way to give back and be part of something meaningful.
Garda Pangan’s story shows that food waste isn’t only about trash or emissions — it’s about connection. Because when people care enough to act, even excess food can make life a little fairer for everyone.
A Story Worth the Anugerah Pewarta Astra 2024
The impact that Garda Pangan brings is no small feat. Since its founding in June 2017, Garda Pangan has rescued nearly 665,000 food portions across Surabaya and Sidoarjo, East Java, reaching about 29,000 people in 205 locations. Over 150 tons of surplus food have been saved and processed. In comparison, another 410 tons have been converted into animal feed, preventing more than 1.05 million kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from entering the atmosphere.
This remarkable achievement earned Garda Pangan the 15th SATU (Semangat Astra Terpadu Untuk Indonesia) Award in 2024, presented by Astra International in the environmental category for Sustainable Food Advocacy. The recognition, received by Kevin Gani, the current Chair of the Garda Pangan Foundation, marked not just an institutional milestone but a national acknowledgment that food rescue is as much about humanity as it is about sustainability.
Kevin Gani | Doc. Tempo.co
“We operate at the intersection of social care, environmental protection, and food recovery,” Kevin says at their modest headquarters in Surabaya. “This award is not about me; it’s a testament to the founders and every volunteer who believes that no food should go to waste while people are still hungry.”
Garda Pangan may help save what’s already wasted, but the most meaningful change happens when each of us learns to take only what we need — and let no food go forgotten.
*****
Reference:
- Official websote Garda Pangan: https://gardapangan.org/
- Official Instagram account Garda Pangan: https://www.instagram.com/gardapangan/
- Official Youtube Account Garda Pangan
- Kompas’s article titled ‘Kevin Gani, Kedaulatan ala Garda Pangan’ : https://www.kompas.id/artikel/kevin-gani-kedaulatan-ala-garda-pangan
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