SEG Gives 1.5 Million Meals During Hunger Action Month
Winn Dixie sponsored Mobile Pantry handout at the Goodwill in New Orleans on July 26, 2021.
Southeastern Grocers Inc., parent company of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, together with the SEG Gives Foundation, is donating more than 1 million meals to Feeding America and an additional 500,000 meals between five of its network food banks in the Southeast to help alleviate hunger in underserved communities during Hunger Action Month.
The grocer also launched its in-store community donation program to benefit the American Red Cross’ disaster relief efforts to support people affected by disasters, big and small. The community donation program will run during peak hurricane season and following the devastating impact from Hurricane Idalia throughout the Southeast.
Raymond Rhee, chief people officer for Southeastern Grocers, said, “As a grocer serving five coastal states, we have witnessed firsthand how a natural disaster’s impact can amplify the struggles faced by millions of families across the Southeast, many of whom already carry the burden of food insecurity.
“Today and every day, we are dedicated to supporting our neighbors to ensure no one faces these hardships alone. Through our ongoing partnerships with Feeding America and the American Red Cross, we turn compassion into action by nourishing and rebuilding our communities when they need us most.”
As part of its ongoing commitment to fight hunger, SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation will provide $100,000 to Feeding America, plus $50,000 in additional monetary contributions to five Feeding America food banks within the grocer’s footprint. SEG will also host five mobile food pantry events during Hunger Action Month with the following local Feeding America network food banks to provide more than 76,000 pounds of fresh produce and shelf-stable products to thousands of families and individuals who face hunger daily:
- Feeding Northeast Florida
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida
- Feeding Tampa Bay
- Feeding South Florida
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana
Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month is held annually each September to raise awareness of the hunger crisis nationwide. According to Feeding America, 1 in 6 people across the United States relied on charitable food assistance at least once in 2022.
SEG and the SEG Gives Foundation remain steadfast in their commitment to help ease the burden for those struggling to put food on the table. The grocer recently donated $160,000 to eight Southeast food banks to help combat food insecurity among families during the summer months. SEG donated more than $700,000 and 14 million pounds of food to help alleviate hunger across its five-state footprint last year.
Additionally, the grocer is launching an in-store community donation program to benefit the American Red Cross in support of its mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. Customers can help equip the nonprofit by donating $1, $5 or simply rounding up their grocery bill while shopping their local Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie stores now through Sept. 26.
Every dollar donated through SEG’s community donation program will help support Red Cross Disaster Relief, which provides essential aid to those affected by disasters across the country, including food, shelter, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance.
Last year, SEG, together with the SEG Gives Foundation and generous customers, donated more than $600,000 to support disaster relief efforts. The grocer was also recently recognized by the Northeast Florida Chapter of the Red Cross as their Community Partner of the Year. The recognition followed SEG’s vital aid response to destructive flooding in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year where local associates distributed meals and water to residents to support the community during recovery efforts.
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USDA Milk Loss Assistance Announced
The U.S Department of Agriculture announced Milk Loss Program assistance for eligible dairy operations for milk that was dumped or removed, without compensation, from the commercial milk market due to qualifying weather events and the consequences of those weather events that inhibited delivery or storage of milk (e.g., power outages, impassable roads, infrastructure losses, etc.) during calendar years 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Administered by the Farm Service Agency, signup for MLP begins Sept. 11 and runs through Oct. 16, 2023.
“Frequent and widespread weather-related disasters over the past three years have impacted U.S. dairy. These producers continue to face supply chain issues, high feed and input costs, labor shortages, and market volatilities,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “The reality for dairy producers is that cattle are milked at least twice a day, producing on average, six to seven gallons of milk per cow, per day.
“That milk must go somewhere, and when it can’t get where it needs to go and can’t be stored due to circumstances beyond a producer’s control we need to help. The Milk Loss Program will help offset the economic loss by producers left with no other choice but dumping their milk during disasters.”
On Dec. 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act (P.L. 117-43), providing $10 billion for crop losses, including milk losses due to qualifying disaster events that occurred in calendar years 2020 and 2021. Additionally, the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. 117-328) provides approximately $3 billion for disaster assistance for similar losses that occurred in calendar year 2022.
MLP compensates dairy operations for milk dumped or removed without compensation from the commercial milk market due to qualifying disaster events, including droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, derechos, excessive heat, winter storms, freeze (including a polar vortex), and smoke exposure that occurred in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 calendar years. Tornadoes are considered a qualifying disaster event for calendar year 2022 only.
The milk loss claim period is each calendar month that milk was dumped or removed from the commercial market. Each MLP application covers the loss in a single calendar month. Milk loss that occurs in more than one calendar month due to the same qualifying weather event requires a separate application for each month.
The days that are eligible for assistance begin on the date the milk was removed or dumped and for concurrent days milk was removed or dumped. Once the dairy operation restarts milk marketing, the dairy operation is ineligible for assistance unless after restarting commercial milk marketing, additional milk is dumped due to the same qualifying disaster event. The duration of yearly claims is limited to 30 days per year for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Those who are uncertain or want to confirm the status of their forms can contact their local FSA county office.
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Target Research Group Acquires Spoonshot
Target Research Group, a leading market research company with 37 years of research experience, has acquired food intelligence platform Spoonshot. This strategic acquisition strengthens Target Research Group’s commitment to delivering advanced, AI-powered insights for businesses in the food and beverage industry.
Over the past two years, Target Research Group and Spoonshot have worked closely together to develop Foodbrain+, an AI that uncovers high-confidence innovation opportunities combined with best-in-class consumer testing. This results in lower costs and shorter timelines for market launches. The successful partnership has led to this acquisition, paving the way for an unprecedented blend of trusted market research methods supercharged by AI.
“We’re thrilled to bring Spoonshot into our family, says Greg Spagna, CEO of Target Research Group. This unique AI platform has transformed how we understand food and beverage trends and consumer behavior. This acquisition enhances our ability to deliver unparalleled, forward-thinking market insights to our clients. Our goal is to further develop Spoonshot’s algorithm to cover all categories and the ability to create new ideas and winning products at pace.”
Spoonshot’s co-founder & CEO, Kishan Vasani, said, “Taking our partnership with Target Research Group to this next level is a fantastic step forward. It means that the reach and impact of our AI research platform will be accelerated. I’m excited about the potential of our integrated offering that will redefine how businesses make data-driven innovation decisions in the food and beverage sector.”
Target Research Group is a premier market research company with over three decades of experience delivering high-quality, data-driven insights. Their expertise spans numerous industries, but they have a specific focus on the food and beverage vertical.
Spoonshot delivers rich food & beverage intelligence by leveraging superior AI and nuanced food knowledge. In answering critical research questions, Spoonshot gives data-backed confidence to make better innovation decisions and ultimately win.
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