The Food & Grocery Industry
Members of the food and grocery industry are in a unique position to make a difference in the fight against hunger. While the global food crisis should be meaningful to everyone, the problem holds special significance for this industry because of its role in the food supply chain. Supporting The Global FoodBanking Network and hunger relief makes sense from both business and humanitarian perspectives.
From donations of products and money, to board membership and technical support, food banking would be impossible without significant involvement from the food and grocery industry. Supporters make a direct, immediate and critical difference in the lives of millions of people around the world.
Value Is In Eye of the Beholder
Each year the food and grocery industry is left with billions of dollars of distressed or surplus product that has little or no commercial value yet is still fit for human consumption. At the same time, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates more than 1 billion people are undernourished worldwide. Products that have no market value are invaluable to someone who is chronically hungry.
GFN provides a safe and efficient distribution channel for unsaleable inventory to move from a donor’s facility to those in need, rather than to landfills. Companies may donate food, beverages, personal care and home care products that are short-coded, discontinued, damaged, seasonal, off-spec, promotional, mislabeled, unlabeled or that feature outdated packaging. The food banks transport, store and distribute the items to people who are hungry and poverty-stricken.
Industry Benefits
Food banking offers the food and grocery industry the opportunity to do good, but also to do well. When companies choose the food bank rather than the landfill for their useable product they:
- Reduce costs for product disposal
- Improve inventory management
- Reap tax deductions for donated products (in some countries)
- Create new markets for products
- Strengthen their brand and customer loyalty by demonstrating environmental and social responsibility*
- Improve employee morale by displaying good corporate citizenship.**
Humanitarian Impact
Decisions to donate products rather than dispose of them result in the feeding of hundreds of millions of people worldwide from the stores of thousands of food and grocery industry partners. These figures from 2007 demonstrate the power to do good that rests in the hands of food and grocery industry donors:
- The European Association of Food Banks distributed nearly 58 million pounds of food—worth 610 million Euros—to 4.3 million people through more than 26,000 charitable organizations.
- GFN food banks in Argentina distributed 11 million pounds of food.
- AMBA, the Association of Mexico food banks and GFN member, distributed 154 million pounds of food through its food banks.
To learn more about becoming a donor, please contact Deb Keegan, Director of Food Sourcing.
*“Rethinking Corporate Social Responsibility,” a 2007 Fleishman-Hillard/National Consumers League Study, reports that 67 percent of consumers say knowing a company meets global standards for being socially responsible would be either “extremely” or “very” influential in their decision to buy a product or service from that company. That figure represented a 13 percent increase over the previous year.
**According to the 2007-2008 Global Workforce Study by Towers Perrin, corporate social responsibility is the third most important driver of employee engagement overall. For companies in the U.S., an organization's stature in the community is the second most important driver, and a company's reputation for social responsibility is also among the top 10.
Giving Thanks
GFN extends a heartfelt thanks to our supporters in the industry:
Cargill
Costco
General Mills Inc.
Groupe Danone
H-E-B
HJ Heinz Company
Kellogg Company
Kraft Foods
Nestlé
The Procter & Gamble Company
Sodexho
Unilever
Wal-Mart
Contact Deb Keegan, Director of Food Sourcing, to learn more about becoming a donor.
