WEST CONCORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Divert, Inc., an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™, today announced its support and commitment to the Biden-Harris Administration’s initiative to take action on the hunger crisis and food insecurity during the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
Ryan Begin, Co-founder and CEO of Divert, Inc., said that the time is now for addressing this nationwide crisis and rapidly growing food insecurity levels, calling on business leaders that touch the food industry to act.
“The amount of unsold food that goes to landfills or incinerators every year in the U.S. is staggering,” said Begin. “But it’s especially gut-wrenching when you consider how many families and individuals in the country face food insecurity. The Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy and solutions shared today will play an important role in galvanizing action to address food insecurity, but we all must do our part to have a real impact and drive transformative change.”
Begin added that, “As a part of our end-to-end approach to address wasted food, Divert is committed to mitigating food insecurity through our unique diversion programs, working hand-in-hand with our retail customers, local nonprofits and food banks. To have a lasting impact, it’s critical that businesses who touch the food supply chain get involved. Companies need to be investing in the data and technology that can help them understand where food loss and waste are occurring and divert it to those most in need.”
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment and food insecurity levels have continued to soar. In 2021, an estimated 13.5 million U.S. households were food insecure - approximately 10.2% of the total population. The rate of food insecurity is only expected to increase in 2022 facing higher levels of inflation.
Meanwhile, the U.S. alone generates more than 100 million tons of food waste annually, with over 50% going to landfills or incinerators. With this, there is a significant opportunity for companies to take steps to reduce food waste and eliminate the food insecurity crisis.
Divert’s proprietary infrastructure and holistic technologies, such as its reverse logistics platform which leverages AI and scanning technologies, enable retailers to efficiently collect unsold products from its stores. The technology scans and sorts the products based on food donation guidelines, which are then distributed by Divert to food banks, such as the Central California Food Bank in Fresno, California and Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) in Riverside, California.
“Since 2018, Divert has donated close to eight million pounds of food to Central California Food Bank, which in turn has enabled us to provide over 6.5 million meals to our community,” said Natalie Caples, co-CEO of Central California Food Bank, which serves over 300,000 people monthly across five counties in the Central Valley. “A donated granola bar or a box of cereal means breakfast for a child, who can now focus on being a kid rather than on their grumbling stomach.”
“Food insecurity is at the center of the many issues our community faces,” said Carolyn Solar, CEO of FARSB, which serves Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. “About 90% of the food that our food bank receives is due to major retailers that have stepped up to support hunger relief work. Monthly, over 8,000 pounds of food make their way through our food bank and into the community with the help of Divert.”
Through its collaboration with some of the nation’s largest food retailers and relationships with local food banks and nonprofits, Divert has facilitated the donation of more than 10 million pounds of food to people, rather than going to waste.
For more information, please visit www.divertinc.com/.
About Divert
Founded in 2007, Divert, Inc. is an impact technology company on a mission to Protect the Value of Food™. Working with five Fortune 100 companies, Divert® creates advanced technology and sustainable infrastructure to prevent wasted food, driving social and environmental impact. For more information on Divert, Inc., please visit www.divertinc.com.
