Albertsons Takes Additional Steps To Fight Hunger In The U.S.
Albertsons Companies and The Albertsons Companies Foundation are putting in place new initiatives to help deal with the issue of hunger in the United States.
As part of the grocer’s Recipe for Change social and environmental framework, Albertsons will enable 1.5 billion meals by 2030 through a combination of surplus food donations from stores and funds raised by the Foundation.
Additionally, The Foundation’s Nourishing Neighbors program will invest $10 million annually to help break the cycle of hunger through various initiatives including its Innovation Spark Fund program, the E.A.T. curriculum for middle and high school students, a coalition created to tackle summer hunger, and other programs aimed at reducing food insecurity.
“At Albertsons, we remain committed to fighting food insecurity in the communities we serve today while working to create lasting solutions to end hunger tomorrow, and forever,” said Jennifer Saenz, executive vice president of Pharmacy and E-Commerce for Albertsons and Board Chair for The Foundation. “The time for change is now as more than 44 million Americans, including 13.4 million children, face the challenge of food insecurity, and we must come together across communities to solve this hunger crisis.”
This past June, Nourishing Neighbors celebrated a decade of fighting hunger in local communities. Since the program’s inception in 2014, Nourishing Neighbors has raised more than $297 million for thousands of nonprofit organizations that are on the front lines of combatting hunger in America.
Each year, Albertsons stores donate millions of pounds of food to local food banks, pantries, and other organizations that are on the front lines in the fight against hunger. As outlined in the latest Recipe for Change report, the company donated more than 92 million pounds of food from stores, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities in 2023, which is the equivalent of enabling more than 76 million meals.
“A key component of our Recipe for Change framework is fighting food insecurity at a local level which is why we’re constantly exploring programs and partnerships that advance localized food donation solutions,” said Suzanne Long, chief sustainability and transformation officer for Albertsons. “We are incredibly proud of the progress we have made to date, and we’re keen to leverage and implement innovative practices as we work to achieve our new goal of enabling 1.5 billion meals by 2030.”
