MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Through a
joint venture between Cargill and Brazilian non-profit Gastromotiva
and Cargill are teaming up to globalize the Social Gastronomy
Movement, which uses the power of food to address social
inequality, improve nutrition education, eliminate food waste and
create jobs. Cargill has signed on as a founding partner, which
includes a three-year, $1.5 million
commitment to scale the community-based approach to tackle these
urgent societal challenges across the globe.
Gastromotiva helped to pioneer the Social Gastronomy Movement,
with chefs driving the effort in local communities. Strong public
and private partnerships are vital to translate that impact on a
global scale.
"This partnership brings together two organizations focused on
driving social and economic change through food," said David MacLennan, Cargill
President and CEO. "By combining Gastromotiva's community
focus with Cargill's global footprint and experience, we can scale
the Social Gastronomy Movement to have a positive impact on
nourishing individuals around the world."
Connecting the world through food, education
Chef David Hertz founded
Gastromotiva to create opportunities for those living on the
margins of society, while also working to reduce food waste.
Currently, they provide vocational kitchen training,
entrepreneurial classes and nutrition education in communities
across Brazil, El Salvador, South
Africa and Mexico. The
organization's impact is on full display at Refettorio
Gastromotiva, a community kitchen in Rio
de Janeiro that serves as both a school and a restaurant.
There, students receive free vocational training and help prepare
delicious, healthy meals made from food surplus that would
otherwise go to waste. The meals are served restaurant-style to
people in need, in a space that encourages dialogue and
companionship.
"Cargill and Gastromotiva are joining forces to make something
much bigger than ourselves—to accelerate a movement that will reach
the masses," said David Hertz. "By
training people to work as chefs, feeding those in need and using
food that would have otherwise gone to waste, we generate
opportunities, lift up those who are struggling and empower the
world through service."
Cargill's three-year partnership, announced this week at the
World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, was forged to take this model to scale. The
partners will focus on launching an online platform and
establishing new Social Gastronomy hubs in communities around the
world.
"Food is the great connector—and the Social Gastronomy Movement
can serve as an equalizer—restoring dignity and respect for anyone
in need of a meal or in need of a job," said Devry Boughner Vorwerk, Cargill corporate vice
president. She noted that the partnership aims to address the same
challenges underpinning the United Nations' Sustainable Development
Goals. "Through hands-on education and training, Social Gastronomy
helps the world address some of our greatest challenges, from
hunger to unemployment and economic disparity to food waste."
"In a fractured world, Social Gastronomy can bring us all
together, to a shared table. It can build the bridge between grass
root solutions, policy makers and business leaders. This
fast-changing world requires joint actions and solutions more than
ever," said Nicola Gryczka, CEO of
Gastromotiva.
To learn more visit www.cargill.com/gastromotiva and
www.socialgastronomy.org.
About Cargill
Cargill provides food, agriculture,
financial and industrial products and services to the world.
Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we
help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of
experience. We have 155,000 employees in 70 countries who are
committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing
environmental impact and improving the communities where we live
and work. For more information, visit Cargill.com, and our News
Center.
About Gastromotiva
Founded in 2006, in Sao Paulo, Gastromotiva promotes inclusion by
means of Social Gastronomy. The organization today headquartered in
Rio de Janeiro - where it
maintains the Refettorio Gastromotiva -, is also present in
Curitiba, Mexico City,
San Salvador and Cape Town. Through education and professional
training, the organization has already graduated and sent to the
labour market about 3,500 young people in socio-economic
vulnerability, offered nutritional education to more than 100,000
people and, in its Refettorio Gastromotiva in Lapa, rescued more
than 50,000 kilos of food in perfect condition for consumption that
would, paradoxically, go to waste. These ingredients have been
transformed by students, cooks and great volunteer chefs into over
80,000 nutritious meals for people in street and shelter
situations.
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SOURCE Cargill