June 18, 2024 WEST CONCORD, Mass. & CHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Divert, Inc., an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food, and Feeding America BB #:209573, the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S., are collaborating on an industry-leading initiative to scale complementary data-driven solutions and sustainable infrastructure that optimize food donations and address the food insecurity crisis.
Together, the organizations will bring more streamlined and actionable insights to retailers and drive a paradigm shift for how wasted food is managed across the U.S.
Since 2018, Divert and Feeding America have worked hand-in-hand with 13 of the largest food retailers across 38 states to implement forward-thinking food donation solutions and strategies, seeing an increase in food donations as much as 20%.
Now, with Divert’s plans to expand its national infrastructure to 30 facilities combined with Feeding America’s network of more than 200 partner food banks, the companies are poised to make their solutions accessible to retailers across the U.S. and solve unsold food at scale.
“Feeding America has been an incredible partner in our shared mission to address food insecurity,” Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder, Divert. “We have made significant progress together through improved data-driven programs to feed more people in need. With our Integrated Diversion & Energy Facilities expansion roadmap and Feeding America’s vast network of food banks and agency partners, we are uniquely positioned to rapidly scale our collective innovative solutions for retailers across the country.”
Divert collects store-level data on wasted food in its proprietary bins brought back to its facilities from retailers, while Feeding America’s MealConnect platform gathers donation data. By leveraging a combination of these unique solutions, retailers are empowered to identify opportunities to increase donations with greater accuracy, thereby optimizing their food recovery efforts and reducing waste.
In 2023, Feeding America sourced more than 4.99 billion pounds of food, rescuing 2.11 billion pounds of food from retail alone. Divert and Feeding America are making real progress to close this unsold food gap.
“Dedicated partnerships like this can help end hunger in America,” said Erika Thiem, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Feeding America. “Divert brings innovative, data-driven solutions; Feeding America brings a national network of food banks and distribution partners. In quickly scaling solutions with retailers, our work together will bring Feeding America closer to its goal of rescuing an additional one billion pounds of food annually.”
The U.S. produces more than 63 million tons of wasted food annually. At the same time, 44 million people in the U.S. face hunger, including one in five children. Approximately 49 million people – that’s one in six people in the U.S. – relied on food assistance from charities like Feeding America in 2022. [1]
While food recovery initiatives exist across the U.S., challenges and barriers to success remain. The food recovery space is vast and fragmented, and lacks cohesive infrastructure and solutions that can drive widespread adoption and change. Continued innovation and collaboration are needed among like-minded organizations, especially in the face of higher food costs, the elimination of pandemic-backed food support, and the growing dual crises of food insecurity and climate change.
For more information on solutions that drive optimized food recovery programs, please visit www.divertinc.com.
About Divert, Inc.
Divert, Inc. is an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™. Founded in 2007, the company creates advanced technologies and sustainable infrastructure to eliminate wasted food, driving social and environmental impact. Divert provides an end-to-end solution that prevents waste by maximizing the freshness of food, recovers edible food to serve communities in need, and converts wasted food into renewable energy. The company works with over 6,600 customer locations across the U.S. to reduce wasted food and positively impact people and the environment. Its customer base spans across industries and includes five Fortune 100 companies. For more information on Divert, Inc., please visit www.divertinc.com.
About Feeding America
Feeding America is committed to an America where no one is hungry. We support tens of millions of people who experience food insecurity to get the food and resources they say they need to thrive as part of a nationwide network of food banks, statewide food bank associations, food pantries and meal programs. We also invest in innovative solutions to increase equitable access to nutritious food, advocate for legislation that improves food security and work to address factors that impact food security, such as health, cost of living and employment. We partner with people experiencing food insecurity, policymakers, organizations, and supporters, united with them in a movement to end hunger. Visit FeedingAmerica.org to learn more.
1 https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-u-s/
Contacts
Divert
Caroline Legg
Director of Public Relations
(203) 313-4228
clegg@divertinc.com
Feeding America
Casey Cora
Director of Donor Partnership Communications
ccora@feedingamerica.org
