Sprouts Farmers Market and Careit rescue 30 million pounds of food, using green tech to help nonprofits nationwide in the fight against food insecurity

It is estimated that nearly 48 million people across America — including 13.8 million children — suffer from food insecurity. Furthermore, in the United States, 31% of food goes unsold or uneaten throughout the food system, with the majority of this becoming food waste. The grocery retail sector alone generates nearly six million tons of unsold food, including both edible food and inedible scraps.

Grocers are vital to the U.S. food supply system, influencing what makes it to their shelves, the types of food shoppers buy and what happens to unsold food. Sprouts Farmers Market is at the forefront of sustainability and food donations, with food waste prevention at the center of its core values. This commitment helps those who desperately need access to nutritious and specialty meals, as food insecurity is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes and negatively affects one’s mental health.

Since partnering with Careit – a food donation app – in August 2022, Sprouts has used Careit to track more than 30 million pounds of food donated to 216 independent nonprofits across the U.S. (and counting). In addition, more than 14 million pounds of surplus fresh produce has been donated and given to local food rescue agencies to distribute to those in need.

Community Over Competition: Helping People Eat and Live Better

Sprouts aims to be a leader in the philanthropic sustainable space, helping local community organizations and “mom and pop” nonprofits easily access meals through its robust food donation program. In addition, as the effects of climate become more pronounced, customers are looking to the businesses they support to better our planet, and Sprouts makes it a priority to incorporate ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) in its sustainability program nationwide.

“We’re very produce-centric and proud that we can provide fresh food to our local community partners that feed those with diet restrictions who need a nutritious meal,” Natasha Tofil, Sprouts Farmers Market Environmental Compliance Manager, said. “In the past, we would have to turn away nonprofits who requested donations, but with Careit, we have been able to easily onboard them to our program and foster more meaningful connections at a local level – the heart of our communities.”

Careit partnership helps Sprouts in multiple ways, including:

• Taking on the administration burden of compliance and ESG data tracking
• Locating and building great partnerships with local nonprofit agency partners
• Encouraging Sprouts team members to be more engaged with their local communities through food donations

“Our partnership with Sprouts aligns with our goal of getting healthier nutrition and even organic produce in the hands of those who are food insecure,” Alyson Schill, Careit CEO and Co-founder, said. “Affordability is a major concern for nonprofits, and our free app services enable them to easily connect with food donors – such as Sprouts – with a simplified donation logistics process.”

Careit is not proprietary for any nonprofit and doesn’t require donors to sign exclusivity contracts.

Getting to the Heart of the Matter: Positive Impact on Local Food Rescue Agencies

Carol’s Kindness Food Pantry has benefited greatly from Sprouts, receiving produce, meals, salads, fruit both cut and fresh to serve to their clients. To date, the nonprofit agency has received nearly 1.05 million pounds of Sprouts-donated food since joining the Careit app.

“Without Sprouts, we would not have as much nutritious food to pass to our clients. We do get food from a local food bank, but not meals, meat and protein. Sprouts provides those as well as vegetables, fruit, cheese, milk, yogurt, bread and pastries,” Carol Rabun, Carol’s Kindness Food Pantry CEO, said. “Before we joined Careit, we didn’t document anything. Now that we weigh everything and keep records, it’s amazing to see how many pounds are redirected and kept out of the landfill.” 

Sprouts goes beyond the typical donation process and makes an effort to personalize their local community partner relationships, according to Carol’s Kindness Food Pantry. The nonprofit enjoys working with their local Sprouts team because of the encouraging messages they receive on food donations (i.e., “We appreciate you” on egg cartons) and getting gestures of kindness during hardships (i.e., bouquet of flowers when one of their volunteers lost a loved one).

Sprouts’ donations have also made a huge difference for You Eat I Eat’s (YEIE) ability to add fresh items at each food distribution, putting more food on their low-income communities’ tables. To date, YEIE has received nearly 9,000 pounds of Sprouts-donated food since joining the Careit app.

YEIE also serves home prepared meals, and because of the addition of Sprouts surplus food donations they receive via the Careit app, they’re able to serve freshly made salads, vegetables and desserts on a regular basis, something they were unable to do in the past because of the expenses involved.

“Since joining Careit, the Sprouts donations we have received have enabled us to increase the amount we distribute weekly, impacting our community with healthier options our clients take notice of,” Dorene Corothers, You Eat I Eat Founder and Executive Director, said. “Working with Sprouts and Careit has been a great experience as their staff is very welcoming and excited to give back to the community via YEIE; and using the Careit app is very informative making it quick and easy to document and track our donations.”

Expanding Beyond Traditional Food Donation Programs

As Sprouts continues to expand its sustainability program tracking through Careit, one area the grocer plans to incorporate is an animal feed donation tracking component. Diverting food waste that is not quite fit for human consumption to pets and livestock creates a valuable resource that saves money and keeps nutrients out of landfills.

“The next evolution is expanding our animal feed program to get farmers on the Careit app who utilize our food that can’t be donated. This food has good life left in it that can be used for animal feed and soil regeneration,” Tofil said.

In addition, Sprouts is looking to amplify more surplus food donation store pickups on the weekends, which helps smaller startups who may not be able to pick up during the week. The grocery retailer no longer has to turn away these social service agencies who need assistance.

“We’re helping smaller organizations with a hope and a dream, to lift them up so they can feed the heart of local communities,” Tofil said.