Cargill donates US$3M to Feeding America; half of donation going toward helping to implement rigorous food safety enhancements

Nevin Barich

CHICAGO , October 31, 2011 (press release) – With one in six Americans lacking enough money to obtain adequate nutrition, demand remains strong for the services provided by Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger relief organization. In an effort to provide the safest food possible to the 37 million people it serves annually, Feeding America is partnering with Cargill to further enhance its food safety practices.

"The people we serve deserve safe, high quality food. All of our food banks adhere to the same stringent standards as grocers, food manufacturers and restaurants, but we strive to be best-in-class," said Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America. "Cargill is a leader in food safety and a longtime supporter of Feeding America. Our partnership is a key to helping us achieve our food safety goals."

Cargill recently donated $3 million to Feeding America, half of which will go toward implementing rigorous food safety enhancements. This includes training Feeding America's 200 member food banks on best practices and working with a third party organization to audit the network for food safety excellence. In 2007, Cargill provided initial funding for Feeding America to create its national food safety program. With its most recent grant, Cargill will continue to provide expertise on food safety.

"Food safety is an important public health issue that presents complex challenges for hunger relief organizations," said Mike Robach, who leads Cargill's food safety efforts. "Cargill is working to continuously improve food safety, and we welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge. We applaud Feeding America's leadership in this area." Another $500,000 will support increasing the capacity and efficiency of Feeding America's food sourcing program, which secured more than 1 billion pounds of food from food manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers last year.

In addition to supporting food safety and sourcing enhancements, $1 million of Cargill's grant will support Hunger-Free Minnesota. The initiative is a statewide collaboration in Cargill's headquarters community for corporate and community organizations to work together to close Minnesota's gap of 100 million meals, annually and sustainably, by the end of 2014. It is the goal of Feeding America that Hunger-Free Minnesota will serve as a pilot for other states to replicate.

About Feeding America and Cargill

Cargill has built a longtime partnership with Feeding America, providing funds, expertise, volunteer time and product donations ranging from flour products to meat. As the largest supplier of eggs to Feeding America, Cargill provides much-needed protein to food banks all over the United States. Cargill also supports Feeding America's food sourcing and distribution program to increase efficiency throughout the food bank network and supports training and education on food safety. Since 2008, Cargill and its businesses have donated nearly $6 million to Feeding America and its affiliates.

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, its network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and three million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 63,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find Feeding America on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow its news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 130,000 people in 63 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information visit www.cargill.com.

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