NEW ORLEANS — Food insecurity is defined as the state of not having access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet one’s basic needs. Many people suffering from food insecurity aren’t sure where their next meal will come from, and, in the US, it’s not due to a lack of production, but a lack of accessibility.

Commercial baking companies are able to help with this, though they may not know how to do so.

At IDDBA 2025, held June 1-3 in New Orleans, Carla Hall, Food Network star, author and trained chef, touched on the complex issue of food insecurity, divulging ways members of the industry can lend a hand.

“Look at your waste,” Hall said. “What are you doing with it? How can you turn one thing into something else?”

Hall shared how Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen, her former Brooklyn, NY, restaurant, utilized by-products to create something new, with a goal of saving every bit of waste possible. For example, the restaurant would take its biscuits, cut them down, toast them and create biscuit crackers to reclaim waste and offer its customers an upcycled way to enjoy their food.

Another route companies can take to offload leftover food without tossing it in the bin is connecting with local resources to donate what they can’t repurpose.