Food For Change, Episode 4: The Vital Role of Business in Alleviating Hunger

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In episode four of Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet, dig into the role of businesses from across industries to alleviate hunger and reduce waste — because food banking isn’t just good for people and planet, it’s good for business and economies.

Gonzalo Muñoz, UN climate change high-level champion and co-founder of Ambition Loop et Manuia, shares his lifelong connection to food systems and climate action, underscoring the immorality of food waste. He explains the powerful role businesses and governments can play in systemic transformation, especially through science-based targets and waste reduction policies. He also points to opportunities at COP30 to align food systems with climate goals and cites food recovery as a key solution.

Stephanie Slingerland, Kellanova’s chief philanthropy officer, reflects on her 20 years in social impact work and Kellanova’s long partnership with GFN, highlighting how it evolved from food donations to broader initiatives such as school feeding, climate-smart meal solutions, and wellbeing research. She emphasizes the value of deep, strategic partnerships over superficial ones, and the balance between tried-and-true solutions and innovation.

Danny Flores, senior manager of H-E-B’s Programme de lutte contre la faim, discusses his 30-year journey at H-E-B, from mechanic to leading hunger relief. He describes the company’s deep history of giving, its role in co-founding GFN, and the importance of data to guide donations and improve supply chains. Flores stresses staff education, flexibility between retailers and food banks and the need to donate more safe, edible food.

Views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the individuals expressing them and do not necessarily reflect those of The Global FoodBanking Network.

Key Takeaways

• Corporate social impact has shifted from short-term sponsorships to deeper, more strategic partnerships.
• Effective partnerships balance innovation with proven, long-lasting solutions.
• Businesses have a crucial role in transforming food systems, from reducing waste to supporting regenerative agriculture.
• Governments must remove barriers, set clear policies and incentivize systemic change, especially around organic waste.
• COP30 presents a major opportunity to integrate food systems into climate action, with food banks central to achieving goals on equity, resilience and sustainability.
• Education and communication with staff at businesses that donate food and food bank partners are key to increasing donations and proper food handling.

Food For Change: Serving Solutions for People and Planet is a podcast by The Global FoodBanking Network, where we whisk together big ideas, bold innovations and inspiring action to serve up solutions for people and the planet. 

Why Nourriture pour le changement? Because right now, one in eleven people face hunger while one-third of all food goes to waste — and that’s contributing up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. But here’s the good news: there are brilliant solutions out there and passionate people dedicated to creating meaningful change. 

Each episode brings together the sharpest minds in hunger relief, food recovery, climate action and food policy — who are reducing food waste, improving nutritious food access and addressing the gaps in our global food systems.