More than 1.6 million people regularly visit chalkboard stores to provide food. The number has been rising for years - and so is the amount of food that lands in the garbage in this country, although it would still be edible. The logistical effort to collect and distribute food is enormous.
Jochen Brühl, chairman of the Dachverein der Tafel in Germany, has called for state support. In part, one must refuse major donations - for example, from the food industry - because the infrastructure of the association is not up to it.
What exactly does Brühl demand - and why? And what do other panel volunteers say? The most important questions and answers on the topic at a glance:
Why do the panels in Germany demand state support?
Jochen Brühl told the SPIEGEL: "In Germany, too much food is thrown away, and politicians hope that we will counteract this situation even more strongly, but that also increases the demands on our logistics, so the state can not leave us alone. "
A distinction is important to him: he does not demand that the state play a greater role in local social work, such as food distribution. But logistics in the background, which often requires work around the clock now, needs more financial support, for example for vehicles, warehouses or refrigeration systems. "That should not lead to the fact that the boards are suddenly nationalized, we live by the honorary office, we remain an NGO."
Philipp Reiss / epd / imago images
Many supermarkets and their customers support the local tables - like here in Bad Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein.
How do blackboard helpers react to the push?
The reactions are divided - just as the situation of individual blackboard representations is very different.
Jörg Sator, head of the board in Essen, for example, sees the thrust critical. "That's what makes us dependent." More money for full-time employees, he does not think necessary, he also leads his board in honorary post: "I reject the principle of working with full-time employees, in principle, which contradicts the Tafel-thought."
Antje Troelsch, managing director of Berliner Tafel, is also skeptical: "More money for logistics and digitization is central," says Troelsch. "But we have to stay independent, it's very important to us, we're a big volunteer movement - and donors can not decide which food we pick up where."
Other people in turn, like Ulrich Fels, head of the board in the Schleswig-Holstein Kropp, welcome the advance of Brühl - and go even further. "Permanent staff, as head of the panels, could organize the organization and distribution of donations and take care of bureaucratic tasks." This would ensure that the food in a region is evenly distributed. "On some days we have so much goods that we do not need ourselves," says Fels. Only last week he had a donation to Tönning 50 kilometers away.
There, Ina Hinrichsen has been taking care of the board of the spa and health resort for nine years. She also sees Brühl's request positive. The roads for Hinrichsen and their volunteers are wide. The place lies on the peninsula Eiderstedt. "For donations, we always have to drive around," she says. On some days it would be difficult to find volunteer drivers for the transports. Then she wants a permanent employee, "who has to drive because it's his job."
How many plates are there in Germany?
The first German blackboard was organized in 1993 in Berlin. According to the Federal Association, there are now more than 940 non-profit panels throughout Germany with more than 2,000 shops and dispensaries. The distribution of the annual 264,000 tons of food donations is regionally differently organized. In total, more than 60,000 volunteers help with the allocation of food, but also clothing or household goods. Many panels also operate a soup kitchen.
Munich Tafel / dpa
Volunteers at the blackboard in Munich: Above all, the distribution of food is a challenge
Why do more and more people use the tablets, despite the good economy?
According to a projection of the association, the number of people who fetch food at the Tafel increased by ten percent within a year to 1.65 million. Among them are especially many seniors - whose low pensions or basic benefits do not benefit from the positive economic situation. This group grew particularly strong. According to the Osnabrücker Tafel, pensioners who were employed in the low paid sector or single parents who did not work full time are often affected.
According to a study commissioned by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, the problem of poverty in old age will continue to increase: According to this, more than every fifth pensioner in Germany could be threatened with poverty in 20 years. Particularly big is the problem in cities, also because of the rising rents.
More and more children and young people use the boards - they make up about 30 percent of the visitors. By contrast, the proportion of asylum seekers who care for them has dropped from 26 to 20 percent.
How are the boards financed in Germany?
The panels are financed according to own information almost exclusively by donations: on the one hand by the food donations of supermarket and restaurant chains, from regional bakers or butcheries. On the other hand by financial contributions or by donations in kind, such as transport vehicles or clothing.
About 60 percent of the panels are projects that are supported by other non-profit organizations, such as Caritas or Arbeiterwohlfahrt. These in turn have their own financing mix, which is also reflected in their Tafel projects. In addition, there are many communities that support their local table, such as vehicles, storage facilities or food distribution areas.
viennaslide / imago images
Sorted out food (stock image)
What role does food waste play?
The supply of the needy is accompanied by another aim of the panels: the use of foodstuffs that would throw away retail and catering, although they are still edible.
The federal government has set itself the goal of halving the amount of wasted food in Germany by the year 2030. It is difficult to determine how many foodstuffs land in Germany each year - experts assume that more than ten million tonnes are consumed. To classify: The panels distribute about 264,000 tons annually.
In order to achieve the goal of halving, Minister of Agriculture Julia Klöckner (CDU) essentially pleads for voluntary commitments of the economy. In countries such as France and Denmark, on the other hand, there are clear rules that some people also demand for Germany. There, for example, grocers with more than 400 square meters of space have to donate surplus food.
Minister Klöckner has launched a concrete project to simplify food donations: an app should enable traders to pass on unsold food more easily to the boards. This, according to a statement by the Federal Ministry, "should increase the amount of food saved in Germany by up to 40 percent."