HelloFresh & customers donate the equivalent of over 50,000 meals to Food Banks Canada

HelloFresh, the world’s leading meal kit provider, and its customers have made a joint donation to Food Banks Canada (FBC) that will help to provide over 50,000 meals with fresh ingredients to families who need it. Specifically, the $27,000 donation will go to food purchasing as part of FBC’s COVID-19 Response Fund, which provides critical access to nourishing food for those facing food insecurity due to the pandemic.

The donation follows last month’s release of Canada’s 2021 Food Price Report by Dalhousie University’s Agri-food Analytics Lab (AAL), which estimated that in 2020 the average Canadian family spent up to $12,508 on food, and forecasted a 3% to 5% increase in overall food price in Canada in 2021. According to Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, project lead and Director of the AAL, “Families with less means will be significantly challenged in 2021, and many will be left behind.”

According to FBC, low-income households often need to choose between rent, utilities, childcare, medicine and food. It predicts that as the pandemic continues and employment suffers, food bank usage in Canada will rise and more households may turn to their local food bank. Furthermore, the signs of COVID-19’s devastating impact on our country’s food bank system are already apparent, including the depletion of food stock.

“Meals made with fresh ingredients should not be a privilege. With this donation, we want to help families across Canada share balanced meals together, and without having to worry about where their next meal will come from,” said HelloFresh Canada CEO and Founder, Ian Brooks. “The COVID-19 pandemic has increased food insecurity in our country, and HelloFresh and our customers are proud to support Food Banks Canada at this critical time.”