Horsham, PA-based BBU is also a long-time partner of Feeding America and donates more than 20 million pounds of bread and baked goods every year across the US. As part of Mexico City-based Grupo Bimbo, BBU also participates in the annual Bimbo Global Race.

“This event brings together participants from around the world to raise aware­ness for food insecurity,” said Jonathan Berger, VP of people at BBU. “For every runner who registers for the physical race, 20 slices of bread are donated. For each virtual participant, two slices are donated. These efforts result in millions of slices being donated globally every year to help fight hunger.”

These ongoing, real-time donations allow other baking industry-related organizations to focus on longer-term solutions.

“We try to address the root cause of food insecurity,” said Jaina Wald, VP of marketing at Puratos USA, during the “Telling Your Story: Baking Businesses and the Communities They Serve” panel at the 2024 American Bakers Asso­ciation (ABA) Convention. “For us, on the local level, it comes down to time, supporting food days and programs in the community. On a global level, we have a one-for-one giving program: For every pound of chocolate sold, Puratos donates a certain percentage back to the farming community.”

This story has been adapted from the February | Q1 2025 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.