When Kraft Heinz was facing challenges in delivering food for nonprofit Rise Against Hunger, the company set out to leverage its existing procurement network through the Kraft Heinz Rise Together Procurement Program.
The program, piloted in 2022, led to the formation of a cross-functional team of supply chain, operations, legal and environmental, social and governance experts, Sara Zeidan, head of agriculture and sustainability in the East at Kraft Heinz, told Supply Chain Dive in an email. The experts worked with the nonprofit to find ways to deliver food seamlessly, which helped create a blueprint for future logistics challenges.
This year, the company has already committed $15 million to Rise Against Hunger and extended its partnership with the nonprofit for the next three years as the two continue to grow their work together.
“The program encourages Kraft Heinz procurement experts to volunteer their time and expertise to support Rise Against Hunger on procurement and supply chain challenges through negotiations and collaboration with our strategic suppliers, with the goal to double the impact of Rise Against Hunger’s global meal donation program by 2027,” Zeidan said.
The company is currently engaging in strategic discussions with four global suppliers in ingredients, packaging and logistics, Zeidan said.
A key aspect of Kraft Heinz’s work with the nonprofit is to bring communities nutritional products, including Heinz Beanz, infant porridges, biscuits, beverages and sauces.
Kraft Heinz also partners logistics companies and worked with Maersk to move donations across the U.K. and Europe to “bring aid to those in need at a time when logistics shortages and inflation hit record highs,” Zeidan said.
“We partner with our logistics suppliers to provide logistics services as a donation to Rise Against Hunger. This service also includes providing crucial customs clearance as needed,” Zeidan added.
Efforts from the program in 2023 led to the delivery of over 20 truckloads of food to Rise Against Hunger, valued at approximately $500,000. The nonprofit distributed aid to people facing food insecurity in Ukraine, Turkiye and Syria. An additional six truckloads of food were also delivered to other nonprofits.
