In partnership with Feeding America, General Mills has helped develop and scale MealConnect, the only food rescue technology available nationwide, providing any restaurant, caterer, local grocery chain, hotel, independent food distribution company, agriculture producers and others in the food ecosystem a no-cost platform to donate surplus meals.

This has enabled General Mills to accomplish the following:

• Achieve social responsibility and environmental sustainability
• Solve big-world problems with solutions in circularity, recycling and reducing carbon emissions
• Maximize business impact, meet stakeholder expectations and create a competitive advantage

Gartner recently recognized these efforts through its 2024 Supply Chain Award for Social Impact. Here’s the story of the impact General Mills has had in leveraging this initiative for success.

Fighting Food Waste and Hunger through MealConnect

Approximately 38% of the U.S. food supply (about 91 million tons) goes to waste, according to the national nonprofit ReFED, an organization that works across the food system to reduce food loss and waste in support of national and international goals.

While a small portion of U.S. surplus food is diverted for donation to the needy, too much of the nation’s food goes to landfill, becomes incinerated or is left in the fields unharvested. Feeding America is the largest charity working to end hunger in the U.S. through collaboration with food banks, food pantries, and local food programs to bring food to people facing hunger. Food Shippers of America (FSA) regularly contributes to Feeding America and encourages its FSA members to get involved as well. Feeding America estimates about one in six people turned to charitable food assistance in 2022 alone. Additionally, a recent survey found that 80% of Feeding America food banks reported either increased or steady demand for emergency food services in June 2023.

In partnership with Feeding America, consumer product giant and FSA member General Mills has helped develop and scale MealConnect, the only food rescue technology available nationwide, providing any restaurant, caterer, local grocery chain, hotel, independent food distribution company, agriculture producers and others in the food ecosystem a no-cost platform to donate surplus meals. And General Mills’ supply chain, along with 41 owned plants around the world, continuously plays an instrumental role in the process.

It all started with MealConnect in 2017. General Mills provided $1 million in transformative funding to develop the MealConnect app, a free platform that facilitates the quick and safe donation of food from grocery stores, convenience stores and foodservice locations to nonprofit food pantries and meal programs across the United States.

While the platform grew, General Mills then provided an additional $400,000 to fund pilot programs with seven food banks so they could use the new technology, refine it, develop best practices and mentor other food banks. The grant also enabled the creation of a national app supported by a robust food sourcing and donation-management program. Fast forward to 2020, General Mills invested $2 million to help expand MealConnect’s capabilities, including a mobile-friendly design and the ability to connect food banks with farmers to rescue fresh produce.

“In addition to committing grant money to Feeding America for MealConnect, we have the ability to leverage our reach and relationships across all food channels to help ensure food retailers and operators are aware of this solution, which they can consider for their own operation,” says Shawn O’Grady, Senior Vice President, North America Foodservices at General Mills.

General Mills’ investments in MealConnect since 2017 have been a catalyst for the platform’s rapid growth. More than 56,000 food businesses have donated their surplus food through MealConnect and 60+ food transport companies have adopted the platform. To date, MealConnect has helped rescue more than 6 billion pounds of food from going to waste, enabling more than 5 billion meals to go to people in need.

What Are the Benefits to this Technology?

This is an amazing success story in leveraging technology to propel forward goals in fighting food waste and hunger in the U.S.

Since its inception in 2017, more than 49,000 food businesses have donated their surplus food through MealConnect, with more than 60 food transport companies adopting the platform and more than 10,700 nonprofits currently benefiting from the program’s rescued food.

To date, MealConnect has rescued more than 5 billion pounds of food, enabling more than 4 billion meals to go to people experiencing hunger.

As a result of the billions of pounds of food recovered by MealConnect, about 5 million+ tons of emissions have been saved from being released had the food gone to landfill. That equals 1,268,481 passenger vehicles being driven for one year.

In addition, MealConnect has recently developed new capabilities, expanding to include a new national produce marketplace-and-matching system. This system digitally connects the food bank network with growers allowing for produce sharing in a more targeted and efficient manner.

Related Articles:

• FSA Makes a Difference for Those in Need in 2022
• Supply Chain Harmonization at General Mills
• Supply Chain Planning: Your Path to Efficiencies, Cost Reductions

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