Kraft Heinz Company: Fighting To End Global Hunger

The manufacturing industry is often thought of in inhuman terms.

We imagine the constant hum of automated production lines, the grind of mechanical factories and the cyclical process of supply chains.

But this industry, from its starting labour to its finished products, is defined at every point by the ways it touches lives.

Manufacturing is a global engine of economic opportunity and innovation. It’s enabled us to rapidly administer life-changing medicine, connect the world through transportation and provide accessible food to meet growing demand. 

This is all down to human ingenuity and talent, which comes in both manual and intellectual forms, creating the phenomenal scale of operations we see today. 

Every gift you’ve ever given or received likely owes some part of its existence to manufacturing.

From a prized pair of earrings to a childhood bike, the handiwork of a manufacturing worker is tied to your most sentimental belongings.

Global supply chains shape geography, environments, communities and opportunities, having a profound impact on the trajectory of people's lives.

For all these reasons and more, manufacturers have a responsibility to uplift and enhance those same lives wherever they can.

One company that takes this responsibility to heart is The Kraft Heinz Company, which has been working to alleviate global hunger.

Working to alleviate global hunger 

The manufacturer is pursuing a mission to create and spread programs aligned with hunger relief, self-sustaining food sources and nutritional support.

Aiming to provide 1.5 billion meals to people in need from 2019 to 2025, the manufacturer has already achieved 66% of this goal.

“At Kraft Heinz, we believe in being good corporate citizens," says Andrea Budelli, President of The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation and Chief R&D Officer of Developed & Emerging Markets at Kraft Heinz.

"We are working hard to improve the communities where our employees live.

"And with 78 manufacturing facilities worldwide, we remain committed to supporting the local communities in which we operate by acting in positive and responsible ways."

It achieved this through the Kraft Heinz Foundation, which has been a partner of Rise Against Hunger since 2013. In 2021, the Kraft Heinz Foundation committed to donating US$12m to the organisation, dispersed over three years.

Thanks to this contribution, Rise Against Hunger was able to reach over 4.4 million people in 2022 through local procurement, sustainable agriculture projects and food distribution.

These projects spanned the Philippines, South Africa, South Sudan, Mali, Malawi, India, Zimbabwe and Senegal, producing 5,538 metric tons of food. 

Implemented through collaborating with local partners and organisations, enhance long-term food security through microenterprise loan programs for small businesses and the installation of water wells and solar pumps. 

Today the Kraft Heinz Foundation is the largest partner of Rise Against Hunger, collaborating on both localised, urgent initiatives and long-term projects to address the root systemic causes of world hunger.

"Our Foundation – The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation – is committed to alleviating global hunger and improving access to nutrition," adds Andrea.

"We do this by partnering with local organizations across the globe including Rise Against Hunger, Feeding America, Heifer International, and Food Banks Canada, and more.

"We’re currently focused on our goal of providing 1.5 billion meals to those in need by 2025 and are making great progress thanks to the collective determination of our Foundation partners, Kraft Heinz brands, and our passionate employees.

"At the end of 2022, we’ve delivered around 990 million meals to those in need.

"We’re incredibly proud of the strides we’ve made to alleviate global hunger and improve access to nutrition, and we’re committed to doing more.”  

Partnering to feed America

The Kraft Heinz Company has also dedicated strong efforts to eradicate hunger from its country of origin: America. 

According to Gallup, America has the highest rate of people struggling to afford enough food to feed themselves and their families in all G7 countries.

One in four Americans surveyed indicated there had been times in the past 12 months when they lacked money to buy the food they needed. 

The link between hunger and poverty is exacerbated in the US by the existence of food deserts. Food deserts are low-income areas that lack good-quality, affordable fresh food and are typically more than one mile away from basic supermarkets. 

Feeding America® is a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 partner agencies that aims to end food deserts and hunger, serving every country in America.

The Kraft Heinz Company has a relationship with Feeding America that dates back to Kraft Foods Group. Inc., as one of the original groups providing the organisation financial support in the 1980s.

The company supports produce procurement programs which ensure food banks in all states can provide fresh, healthy produce, sourced from farmers and producers. 

In 2022, the Kraft Heinz Company donated more than 18 million lbs of food to the Feeding America network through 33 local partner food banks aligned with its U.S. manufacturing sites.

Since 2019, the organisation has donated more than 78 million pounds of food, supporting cause marketing, volunteerism and amplifying calls for governmental support. 

“The movement to end hunger in America takes committed partnerships,” says Casey Marsh, Chief Development Officer, of Feeding America.

“By donating food, funding, and volunteer engagement, Kraft Heinz’s deeply rooted partnership with Feeding America helps us provide more meals to more people experiencing hunger. We are beyond grateful for the generous support.”

Kraft Heinz also participates in Walmart and Sam’s Clubs’ annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign. 

During this cause-marketing campaign, customers are invited to fight hunger in their communities through direct donations at the cash register or by purchasing qualifying items in all U.S. stores, clubs, or online.

In 2022, Kraft Heinz provided the equivalent of 5,592,910 meals through participation in this campaign.

"Serving communities and expanding access to affordable, healthy food lies at the heart of Walmart and Sam's Club's purpose to help people live better," says Kathleen McLaughlin, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, at Walmart and President, of Walmart Foundation.

Planting seeds for strong communities 

The Kraft Heinz Company’s efforts to alleviate hunger extend to a range of other countries. Such efforts include the Lunchbox Fund, which has served over two million meals to 9,950 school children across Southern Africa. 

These meals incentivise parents to keep children in school rather than send them to work, supporting children’s well-being and ability to succeed in education.

In Canada, Kraft Heinz Canada rebranded its annual benefit campaign for Food Banks Canada in 2022 to ask, “What’s For Dinner?”. 

During the resulting four-week campaign, Canadians advocated against food insecurity by purchasing participating Kraft Heinz products online or in-store.

The initiative, part of a larger five-year partnership works to alleviate hunger across the nation.

In the UK the Kraft Heinz Company has, for the last four years, been providing healthy school breakfasts to hungry children in disadvantaged areas of the country through the Magic Breakfast partnership.

There’s also the Planting Seeds for Strong Communities project, implemented by Rise Against Hunger and impact partner ADRA International, which establishes home-grown school feeding programs and trains farmers in climate-smart agriculture to support long-term food security in Zimbabwe. 

As climate change makes agricultural production a more tenuous process, all industries must take global action to secure the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities.

The Planting Seeds for Strong Communities project has trained people in Zimbabwe to use community sheller and oil-pressing machines, securing them a source of income. 

It’s also invested in training people in the projects Village Savings and Loan Association group, to enhance knowledge of the financial schemes and support people can participate in.

Several key Kraft Heinz Brands have also taken action to support local communities:

The Kraft Heinz Company is an example of a leading manufacturer that uses it's power and reach to enhance lives. 

As a food manufacturer the company intimately understands the detrimental impact malnutrition and hunger have on childhood development.

The Kraft Heinz Company strives to ensure all children have access to healthy, nutritious food and all communities have access to the tools and means to end systemic hunger.

As we all become increasingly interconnected thanks to digital transformation, globalisation and ever-expanding supply chains, manufacturers continue to play a pivotal role in shaping lives. 

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