FoodShare program to provide 5 million meals in the first year.
On March 22, Starbucks set a goal to donate 100% of its unsold food that is still safe to consume to help feed the hungry.
All of Starbucks’ 7,600 stores are set to participate.
According to USA Today, Starbucks’ plans to work in partnership with Food Donation Connection and the nonprofit Feeding America, through which perishable food will be picked up from Starbucks stores each day in refrigerated vans and redistributed to food banks.
Starbucks is calling the program FoodShare. The move is expected to provide five million meals in the first year and nearly 50 million by 2021, when it expects to reach a 100% donation rate, according to USA Today. Starbucks has already partnered with Food Donation Connection since 2010 to donate its surplus pastries.
The challenge, according to Starbucks was figuring out how to keep food cold to preserve its quality during delivery.
Starbucks is reportedly hoping other restaurants will join the cause and that it could eventually dispatch its refrigerated vans to other chains looking to donate their unsold food. The pledge is significant given a government goal set last year to cut food waste in half by 2030.