HelloFresh Reaffirms Commitment to End Food Insecurity
HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal kit provider, is unveiling striking new data on food insecurity in the United States and reaffirming its commitment to serving people in need through its charitable programs.
Food insecurity, defined by Feeding America as the lack of consistent enough access to food to lead a healthy life, is a pressing issue across the country, recently exacerbated by the end of pandemic-era benefits and the rising cost of living.
This harsh reality is underscored by the Hunger Matters in the U.S. Report, a representative survey of US adults recently commissioned and released by HelloFresh. According to the data:
- Food insecurity is a sweeping issue across America: Nearly one-third of Americans (32%) reported personal experience with food insecurity at some point, while 40% reported having a friend or relative who has experienced food insecurity. More than two-thirds of Americans (69%) acknowledged that food insecurity is a problem in America, while more than half (51%) acknowledged it is a problem in their own communities.
- The economy is top of mind for Americans: Almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) agreed the economy is causing a larger food insecurity crisis. At the same time, more than half of respondents (51%) cited cost and affordability as one of the biggest barriers to eating well. When asked about pressing issues in their community, Americans cited inflation as the top concern (77%), followed by poverty (66%).
- There is a generational divide, with young adults much more likely to go hungry: Respondents ages 18-34 were almost twice as likely to report having experienced food insecurity, compared to respondents ages 55+ (41% vs. 21%, respectively). More than one-third of 18-34 year old respondents (38%) said they believe they have experienced food insecurity in the last year.
- Americans are looking to brands and organizations to take action: More than two-thirds of Americans (68%) said they would like to see brands and organizations do more about the state of hunger and food insecurity. The top three actions that Americans reported they would like organizations to take to address food insecurity are: creating emergency food programs, such as food banks and meal programs (59%); directly donating to people facing food insecurity (51%); and advocating for government policy that focuses on the causes of food insecurity (42%).
“This research not only underscores that the need to fight hunger is tremendous, but also that people are looking for community organizations and brands like HelloFresh to work together to take action to address it,” said Jeffrey Yorzyk, senior director of sustainability at HelloFresh. “Hunger never sleeps so we are committed to continuing our fight against hunger, through the holidays and every day after, alongside our valued partners and customers.”
Fighting Hunger Through Public-Private Partnerships
HelloFresh created Meals with Meaning in 2020 to provide pre-packaged meal kits, with fresh ingredients and step-by-step recipe cards, to people in need—through partnerships with local nonprofits—where HelloFresh has distribution centers. HelloFresh has delivered more than 6 million meals and provides 40,000 meals to people in need each week in Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Newark, New York City and Phoenix. Earlier this month, HelloFresh and partners, the City of Newark and New Jersey’s first food rescue organization Table to Table, marked a significant milestone through its Meals with Meaning program: 2 million meals delivered to people facing food insecurity in the greater Newark area alone.
“In today’s economy, it’s truly a struggle to pay for necessities like rent, utilities and childcare and still have enough money to put healthy, nutritious food on the table. Often trade-offs must occur,” said Julie Kinner, vice president of operations, Table to Table. “For nearly a decade, Table to Table and HelloFresh have proudly partnered to not only provide and deliver fresh food to hungry neighbors but also to ease their stress and provide hope.”
Fighting Hunger By Supporting Individuals in Need
HelloFresh also will keep nominations for its LimeAid program open through the end of the year to help families in need through the holiday season. LimeAid is HelloFresh’s effort to fight food insecurity on the individual level by providing 3 months of free HelloFresh meal kits to people in need. Anyone can nominate a friend, loved one or neighbor, and the HelloFresh team assesses and chooses winners based on need. Since LimeAid’s inception, HelloFresh has supported nearly 500 families with this program. Nominations remain open here.
HelloFresh donates surplus food, ingredients, supplies, finished meal kits, employee volunteer hours and monetary contributions to organizations fighting food insecurity and food waste.
To learn more about how HelloFresh fights food insecurity and join in the action, please visit www.hellofresh.com.
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DoorDash Adds 2 California Specialty Grocers to Platform
DoorDash announced the availability of Gus’s Community Market (a family-owned San Francisco staple) and New Leaf Community Markets (a Santa Cruz-based natural and organic grocer) for on-demand delivery on the DoorDash platform.With the addition of these iconic California grocers, DoorDash continues to expand its grocery delivery options, now offering over 100,000 non-restaurant retailers on the platform and unlocking even more locally-sourced and quality selections for consumers.
What makes these partnerships unique:
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Both are beloved local merchants in their communities.
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For over four decades, Gus’s Community Market has been serving San Francisco with four locations, providing fresh groceries, great selection, and neighborly service.
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New Leaf – the first B Corp Certified grocer in California – provides all-natural grocery items, high-quality body care, and wellness products from six locations along the Central Coast.
This announcement continues DoorDash’s swift acceleration in the grocery category, following recent news of multiple new partners – from the largest national grocery partners to beloved local favorites and specialty shops – as well as the addition of SNAP/EBT as a payment method on the platform.
Consumers can order delivery from these grocers on the DoorDash app or website. To celebrate the announcement, shoppers can receive:
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20 percent off all eligible Gus’s Community Market orders $45+ (up to $15) with promo code GUSLAUNCH20.
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Members of DashPass, DoorDash’s membership program that offers members $0 delivery fees from thousands of restaurants, grocery, and convenience stores nationwide, will receive 30 percent off all eligible orders $60+ (up to $25) with promo code GUSLAUNCH30.
In addition, starting Dec. 22 to Jan. 4, consumers can enjoy the following deals from New Leaf:
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Free delivery from all New Leaf Community Market locations.
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DashPass members will receive 20 percent off $50 (up to $15) off all eligible orders with promo code NL20.
You can find more information about Gus’s and New Leaf on DoorDash here.
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Impossible Beef Hot Dogs to Debut for 1 Day Only in NYC
On Saturday, Dec. 16, Impossible Foods will debut an exclusive sneak preview of its latest meat-from-plants innovation – all-new Impossible Beef Hot Dogs – available for one day only in New York City.
As hungry holiday shoppers descend on Midtown Manhattan in search of the perfect gifts, Impossible will be serving up a gift of its own: free Impossible Hot Dogs on Dec. 16 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Impossible fans can tune into the brand’s Instagram page for the address drop in the days leading up to the event.
The giveaway marks the first taste of Impossible’s newest product, which promises a fresh but familiar take on the classic American hot dog and is set to launch in restaurants and grocery stores next year. The juicy, savory links offer a similar cooking and sensory experience to traditional animal beef hot dogs, but are made with high-quality ingredients derived from plants.
Impossible Hot Dogs outperform the animal on several key nutritional metrics: they contain 50% less total and saturated fat than a leading brand of animal beef hot dog served in restaurants, in addition to featuring a whopping 12 grams protein (versus 6 grams) and 0 milligrams cholesterol.2 Unlike most animal-based hot dogs, the franks also contain no added or synthetic nitrates or nitrites, instead using only those naturally occurring in cultured celery powder.
“Hot dogs are an undeniably classic part of American culture and not to mention, they’re a burger’s best friend. It’s long been a priority to add them to our product portfolio,” said Peter McGuinness, CEO and President of Impossible Foods. “Our adaptation replicates that quintessential hot dog taste, while offering consumers a nutrient-dense product that’s better for the planet. We want people to see that there’s really no compromise when you choose Impossible products. It’s as easy as throwing an Impossible Hot Dog on the grill – right next to an Impossible Burger.”
The craveworthy, nostalgia-inducing hot dogs cook up just like their animal beef counterparts and are primed for a variety of delicious toppings – from classic condiments like ketchup or mustard, to plant-based Impossible Beef Chili. And because they’re made from plants, Impossible Hot Dogs account for 84 percent less greenhouse gas emissions, 77% less water and 83 percent less land than an animal beef hot dog.
Impossible Hot Dogs mark the seventh new product to be released by Impossible in the last 12 months. Earlier this year, the company doubled-down on its beef-from-plants portfolio with the Impossible Indulgent Burger – a gourmet patty that recently rolled out across Ruby Tuesdays nationwide – and Impossible Beef Lite – a heart-healthy, plant-based take on lean beef. Impossible also expanded its chicken-from-plants portfolio with new offerings like Impossible Spicy Chicken Nuggets & Patties and Impossible Chicken Tenders. Meanwhile, its flagship Impossible Beef product remains the top-selling plant-based meat product in the United States by dollar sales and volume, across both the retail and foodservice sectors, and its Impossible Meatballs are the #1 best-selling plant-based meatball in the United States.
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