Healthy Hunger Relief

Feeding America

2019 Progress Report

Year Committed: 2017
Length of Commitment: 7 years
Select a Progress Report:

Committed to increase annual fresh/frozen/canned/dried fruit/vegetable category from 35% to 45% of all distributed food, refine and pilot to food categories to then establish a goal for increasing foods to encourage (F2E) based on baseline data and to pilot behavioral economic nudges.

Verified Results

  • Implementation Date

    June 2023

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Between July 2015 and June 2023, increase annual fresh/frozen/canned/dried fruit/vegetable category from 35% to 45% of all distributed food.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America is making progress toward its goal to increase annual fruit and vegetable distributions to 45%. Between July 2018 and June 2019, 715,283,274 pounds of fresh, frozen, canned and dried fruit vegetable were distributed, accounting for 34% of all distributed food. This represents an increase of 77,574,879 pounds and 3% above baseline.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2019

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Pilot 2-3 product/packaging transformation efforts across fruit/vegetables, protein and/or dairy to evaluate scalability and if feasible, scale up.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America is leading efforts to expand its network protein processing capabilities. This is, in part, being achieved through strategically identifying "hubs" where USDA certified clean rooms should be implemented and the corresponding benefit based on geography, total supply, recoverable supply, meal gap demand and food bank capabilities. By capturing approximately 10% of estimated available large format protein not captured by the network today, Feeding America estimates 20 new USDA clean rooms could increase total animal protein volume by 18% or 80 million pounds.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2019

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Pilot refined categories that member food banks report to Feeding America in 3-5 food banks to reflect additional focus on more precise nutritional information.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America food banks are piloting and testing new ways to categorize nutritious food in food banking, as well as exploring new options for tracking and measuring distributed foods. All Feeding America food banks submit data on Foods to Encourage categorization and percentages on a quarterly basis. In August 2019, the Feeding America National Office held a convening to further explore learnings with 26 participants from several of the food banks. More than 16 participants are also engaged in a monthly network Task Force to develop a measurement and tracking prototype.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2020

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Use information to establish a goal for increasing foods to encourage (F2E) based on baseline data.

    Progress To Date

    The Feeding America National Office Board approved a goal to increase foods to encourage (F2E) distribution to 71% of all foods supplied from food banks to agencies. This goal will be achieved by supporting member demand strategies, including nudges; building agency capacity to ensure more fresh, nutritious food reaches clients; evolving the F2E definition and measurement based on Healthy Eating Research recommendations and successful network models and facilitating the sharing of demand strategy best practices to increase selection of nutritious foods. Additionally, Feeding America is reporting and setting targets around F2E distributed from food banks to agencies, rather than received by food banks, to better approximate its ability to meet the nutritional needs of its clients.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2020

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Ensure donor prospecting and communications materials highlight F2E and measure if the encouragement of healthier donations resulted in healthier food being donated.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America uses a variety of materials, including detailed presentation decks, that highlight its Foods To Encourage (F2E) initiative when speaking with donors. One outcome of this targeted approach is a 25 percent increase in produce donations over the last five years.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2019

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Pilot the 2 behavior economics principles within the food bank network.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America has developed the Pathways to Health Promotion Nudge Toolkit to assist grant-funded food banks in implementing and expanding behavior economic principals, including nudges, to encourage consumers to make healthier food choices. Nudges focus on interventions related to placement and presentation, influencing choices through the ways clients view their food options and by leveraging information availability to inform decision making in the pantry.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2020

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Disseminate findings and supporting tools for implementation to member network by 2020.

    Progress To Date

    In the summer of 2019, Feeding America released the Choice Pantry Nudge Toolkit, with the support of partners, to implement and expand Demand Strategies (Nudges) in choice pantry settings. The toolkit serves as an actionable guide and encourages food banks and pantries to adopt small, low-cost changes within food environments making the healthy choice the easy choice. The toolkit was disseminated through the Hungernet webpage, Yammer Choice Pantry Nudges group, REACHout Network Newsletter, Programs Network Newsletter and a Choice Pantry Nudge Toolkit Webinar.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2019

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Implement behavior economic principles, known commonly as nudges or environmental cues, around F2E on online ordering platform; measure if this nudge results in healthier food being ordered.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America is making progress with its Sourcing team and plans to implement behavior economic principals around Foods To Encourage on its online ordering platform once its final nutrition definition guidelines are released in FY20.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2021

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Provide 10 new recipes meeting Hunger + Health recipe criteria for each of the top 31 donated produce items.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America is making progress toward its commitment and has identified 88 recipes that meet its Health+Hunger Recipe Criteria and feature 24 of the top 31 donated produce items.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2023

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Identify and implement strategies to integrate nutrition guidance into child nutrition programs at food banks.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America is making progress on integrating nutrition guidance into child nutrition programs. In September 2019, Feeding America held Children and Families Strategy Session with its network and external partners to identify strategies to meet its intended outcomes and goals.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2020

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Support 15 food banks to expand and strengthen their nutrition and health promotion initiatives via Pathways to Health Promotion Framework, which will include 3 evidence-informed strategies.

    Progress To Date

    In 2019, Feeding America supported implementation of its Pathways to Health Promotion Nudge Toolkit to expand nudge strategy and interventions in 15 food banks. Food banks reported implementing at least 3 nudges in 3 or more sites. Food banks reported increased distribution of foods that qualify as Foods to Encourage as a result of their engagement with the toolkit.

  • Implementation Date

    June 2022

    Reporting Date

    September 2019

    Commitment Element

    Establish criteria for and a mechanism by which to recognize excellence in nutrition for health in food banking.

    Progress To Date

    Feeding America continues to refine processes and ways of recognizing the network, in partnership with its Network Council.

Partner Statement

No statement provided.