Starbucks has been involved in their fair share of controversies in the past – “War on Christmas” seasonal cups, anyone? – but now they’re launching an initiative that surely everyone can get on board with.
The coffee giant has pledged to donate 100 per cent of its leftover food to those in need, as part of a new program called FoodShare. The company will donate ready-to-eat meals to food banks from its 7,600 U.S. operated stores.
According to the Starbucks press release, in the first year alone the program will be able to provide nearly five million meals to individuals and families in need of food. But over the course of the next five years they hope to ramp things up to the point that they’ll be donating the full 100 per cent, which would amount to nearly 50 million meals by 2021 – an absolutely incredible resource for food banks and those who are in desperate need of nourishment.
Image: Starbucks
50 million meals would be an incredible achievement. But that’s just Starbucks. What if every food retailer began to donate their leftover produce to charity?
It seems so simple, and yet it has taken until 2016 for companies to start smelling the coffee and bagels…and more importantly, hand unused ones over to the needy. Of course, Starbucks isn’t the first retailer to do it. Pret a Manger, a fast food chain based in the UK with several stores worldwide, is partnered with charities and donates hundreds of thousands of leftover meals to those in need each year.
We told you last week that Italy changed their law to make it mandatory for supermarkets to give unsold food to the needy. This followed on the heels of France’s decision back in May 2015 to ban food waste in supermarkets – stores are now forced to donate any unsold (but still edible) food to charity or for use as farming compost.
So how will it work? Well, now that Starbucks has a partnership with Feeding America (the largest food-rescue non-profit in the U.S.), large refrigerated vans will pick up food from stores each day. These vans full of food will be delivered to the Feeding America network, ensuring the quality of the leftover food and the delivery into the hands of those in need.
“This food is going to make a difference, whether it’s a child not going hungry for the night or a family that’s able to enjoy a protein plate that they would not have otherwise been able to afford at Starbucks,” said Starbucks store manager Kienan McFadden in the press release.
“Rescuing food in this way from being thrown away will change lives. It makes me proud to know partners are the heroes in this.”
[ad_bb1]