Tackling food insecurity: The role commercial bakers play

BACK TO ALL NEWS

Tackling food insecurity: The role commercial bakers play

7 Apr 2025

Mari Rydings

Mari Rydings is a versatile content creator, editor and marketer with experience developing dynamic, results-driven materials for B2B and B2C audiences. As the editorial director for Avant Food Media, she leads the day-to-day editorial operations for the company’s print and digital magazines, newsletters and social media platforms. Outside of work, she loves reading, hiking, putting together jigsaw puzzles and spending time with her husband and their twin daughters.

KANSAS CITY, MO — Food insecurity is one of the most complex problems the world faces today … and it’s growing. The phrase refers to when people don’t have enough to eat and aren’t sure where their next meal will come from. In the US, it’s not a matter of scarcity; food production and supply are healthy. Rather, the high cost of living, lack of affordable housing, unemployment, and chronic health issues, among other drivers, are fueling the problem. Globally, climate change, war and economic instability make food production and distribution extremely challenging.

Even though food manufacturers — especially commercial bakers — are in the perfect position to make great strides toward solving the problem, the issue is so pervasive and personal that it’s difficult to pinpoint where to start.

In the US alone, 47 million people, including 14 million children, experience food insecurity every year, according to Feeding America, the largest hunger relief organization in the US. The World Health Organization puts the global number at around 733 million people.

Despite these numbers, 47% of Americans believe food insecurity is rare among the average family.

That’s according to “Empty Tables: The Hidden Reality of Food Insecurity,” a recent survey conducted by Downers Grove, IL-based Sara Lee Corp., a Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) brand, and U.S. Hunger. The survey also revealed that 3 in 10 Americans aren’t familiar with the term “food insecurity,” and 76% don’t count it among the top three issues facing families today.

The report also found that 38% of Americans believe the income level that submits the most requests for food assistance is less than $25,000 annually. In truth, food insecurity impacts households that earn between $25,000 and $149,000 per year. When made aware of the extent of the problem, 82% of survey respondents said they were interested in helping to fight it. That statistic alone opens up opportunities to raise awareness and encourage action.

Food insecurity is one of the most complex problems the world faces today … and it’s growing.

Bakers aren’t on the battlefield alone. Industry associations, agriculturally focused universities, social enterprises and accelerator programs are fighting alongside them, searching for viable, sustainable solutions.

Commercial bakers fulfill the immediate need: getting safe and nutritious food to people who need it. They are known for their generous baked goods donations to hunger relief organizations and support of internal programs encouraging employees to volunteer at food banks in the communities they serve.

Thomasville, GA-based Flowers Foods is one of several companies that has been a Feeding America Guiding Partner for many years, providing millions of pounds of fresh and reclaimed bakery products every year.

“In 2023, bakeries in the Flowers Foods network donated more than $7.6 million in bakery food products to hunger relief organizations through the Feeding America network,” said Sally Bowman, director of community engagement and giving for Flowers Foods. “These donations put food in the hands of those who need it most.”

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.

Advertisement

BACK TO ALL NEWS