HEALTH & WELFARE

Left: KOGURE Masahisa of
TFT is on the left. Although
he has been unable to visit aid
recipients during the pandemic,
he has kept in close contact
with NPO partners on theground to keep abreast of thelatest issues. TABLE FOR TWO
Top: Kogure says, “Foodassistance increases
educational opportunities.
Our ultimate goal is to cut thechains of poverty.”
TABLE FOR TWOMEALS TO SOLVETHE GLOBAL FOOD
IMBALANCE
Some people in the world today have difficulty getting enoughfood to eat, while others struggle with obesity as a result of eating
too much. One Japanese NPO seeks to resolve that food
imbalance, helping individuals on both ends of the spectrum.

How wonderful would it be if two people—
one living in a developed country and another in adeveloping country—were able to share their foodequally? TABLE FOR TWO (TFT), a Japanese

NPO established in 2007, has created a system todo just that. For each nutritionally balanced TFT
meal selected by a diner at an employee cafeteria ora restaurant, a donation of 20 yen is generated. TFT

For every meal a diner eats from the TFT menu, a donation is made to adeveloping country. The photo shows a TFT meal at a Toyota Motor Corp.
employee cafeteria. TOYOTA MOTOR CORP.

works with partner organizations to turn that 20-yen
donation into a school meal in a developing country.
Many people in developing countries still cannot
get enough food to obtain the nutrition they needto live. According to reports by UNICEF and otherinternational organizations, since 2020, soaring
food prices and distribution network disruptions
caused by the rampant spread of COVID-19 haveexacerbated the situation. As a result, about 10% of
the world’s population is now underfed. To achieve
the SDG of zero hunger by 2030, much remains tobe done. Meanwhile, the percentage of obese people
in developed countries continues to rise owing tohigher calorie meals and a lack of exercise due to theprevalence of desk work.
Resolving that global food imbalance is TFT’sgoal. According to its executive director, KOGURE
Masahisa, “Many people can’t make big donations on
a continual basis. That’s why TFT created a systemthat lets them contribute a little bit every day.” Theamount of each donation is small and manageable andcan therefore be included within the price of a single
meal, making it possible for individuals to contribute
while enjoying a delicious and healthy dish—theseadvantages to the system eliminate the psychologicaland economic obstacles blocking donations. As ofApril 2021, around 650 companies and organizations
are involved with TFT. In addition, TFT has offices
not only in Japan, but also in the U.S. and Germany,
where it is recruiting more sponsors.
TFT helps serve school meals mainly in Uganda,Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, and the Philippines. Withthe donations collected in 2020, the organizationdelivered about 5.5 million school meals. More thanjust offering children better nutrition, those meals
also provide the motivation both to attend school
and to study while there. According to one of thestudents, “Thanks to the school meals, I can reallyfocus on my studies.”
In addition to assistance with school meals,
TFT helps plant vegetable gardens for schools andcommunities to create a sustainable food supply system.
Kogure says, “We often hear from recipients that theywant to be able to produce their own food rather thanjust relying on aid. But they lack the technology andfunds. So, we started to help plant vegetable gardens
with the idea of assisting them in producing food.”
Along with improving food self-sufficiency andeconomic independence, such organically cultivatedvegetable gardens provide places for teaching children
about nutrition and food safety.
Kogure enthusiastically says, “We want to recruit
partners beyond our own current field of activities
so that we can provide even more assistance todeveloping countries.” As the waves of TFT’s
influence spread, we will come much closer to a world
without hunger or obesity.
Right: TFT helps local
schools plant vegetablegardens to teach children
how to make their own
food. TABLE FOR TWO
Bottom: Dietaryeducation programs inthe U.S. teach children
lessons such as how to
prepare nutritionallybalanced Japanese food.
TABLE FOR TWO