Buddha Brands, known for Hungry Buddha bars, is joining forces with Second Harvest Canada in an effort to fight food insecurity and reduce food waste. Buddha Brands has announced donation of $80,000 to Second Harvest Canada in support of their vision “No Waste, No Hunger." The donation will help provide enough food to distribute 242,424 meals through agencies and partners across Canada. Additionally, the food rescued for these meals will help prevent the release of over 700,000 pounds of greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere.

Since 2012, Buddha Brands has pledged 1% of sales to environmentally focused non-profits through a membership with 1% For the Planet.

Christopher Magnone, cofounder and CEO, says of the recent donation, “When we learned that 1 in 7 Canadians reports facing food insecurity, and 32% of lost and wasted food across Canada could be rescued to support these families—we knew we had to be a part of a solution. We are so grateful for the efforts of Second Harvest and their network, who are working to recover and redistribute food while making a tangible impact on our communities and the environment. We have always believed in operating our business beyond a goal of profit and are beyond proud of this partnership."

Food waste is one of the leading contributors to carbon pollution. When surplus food ends up in landfill, it generates 56.5 million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions every year. Canada’s complex food value chain prevents traditional organizations from addressing and scaling solutions to food insecurity. But Second Harvest has found a cost effective, sustainable solution that involves close collaboration with communities across Canada to recover and redistribute fresh food in using innovative technology and partnerships, while reducing the adverse environmental impacts of food waste.

“On behalf of all staff, volunteers, and stakeholders at Second Harvest, we are incredibly grateful and excited for this partnership with Buddha Brands. Their mission is perfectly aligned with ours against food waste and food insecurity. At a time when there has been a 39% increase in food insecurity, which has led to a worsening hunger crisis in communities of all sizes across Canada, there are now 6.7 million Canadians relying on community food organizations. This is the equivalent of the population of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta combined. This immensely generous support from Buddha Brands will provide such significant impact to our efforts to ensure that all Canadians have access to the food they need. Thank you so much to the Buddha Brands team for this outstanding gift," says Kris-John Kucharik, senior manager, corporate partnerships, Second Harvest Canada.