TEDWomen 2019
Jasmine Crowe: What we're getting wrong in the fight to end hunger
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In a world that's wasting more food than ever before, why do one in nine people still go to bed hungry each night? Social entrepreneur Jasmine Crowe calls for a radical transformation to our fight to end global hunger -- challenging us to rethink our routine approaches to addressing food insecurity and sharing how we can use technology to gather unused food and deliver it directly to people in need.
Jasmine Crowe - Hunger hero
Jasmine Crowe is the creator of Goodr, a tech-enabled sustainable food waste management company that strives to eliminate hunger and save food from landfills. Full bio
Jasmine Crowe is the creator of Goodr, a tech-enabled sustainable food waste management company that strives to eliminate hunger and save food from landfills. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
In June of 2017,
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I volunteered with a group
at a local food pantry
at a local food pantry
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on the south side of my home city
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in Atlanta, Georgia.
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It was a Friday afternoon,
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the day of their weekly food giveaway.
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And as I drove up,
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I saw people beginning to arrive,
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many with their rolling carts in tow,
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prepared to receive
their food supply for the week.
their food supply for the week.
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As I was walking in the door,
there were about 40 people outside
there were about 40 people outside
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waiting in line.
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And I was so excited,
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because there are very few things
I enjoy more than giving back.
I enjoy more than giving back.
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But then, as I entered the room where
the volunteer meeting was taking place,
the volunteer meeting was taking place,
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I immediately realized:
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we weren't about to give
these people any real meals.
these people any real meals.
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We were essentially just giving them food.
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I took my place on the assembly line,
where -- get this --
where -- get this --
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I was in charge of making sure
that the Weight Watchers Ding Dongs
that the Weight Watchers Ding Dongs
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made it into every family's bag.
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As the bags started to come around,
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I'm thinking to myself:
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What on earth are we doing here?
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Each bag contained
two 20-ounce diet Snapples,
two 20-ounce diet Snapples,
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a gallon of barbecue sauce,
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a bag of kettle potato chips,
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a box of superhero-shaped
vegetable-enriched macaroni noodles,
vegetable-enriched macaroni noodles,
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a box of belVita breakfast bars,
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a can of refried beans,
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a can of sweet peas,
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a miniature can of corn,
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I can't forget about those Ding Dongs
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and french fried green onions,
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you know, the kind that go
on top of a green bean casserole.
on top of a green bean casserole.
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And that was it.
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We made over a hundred
of those bags that day,
of those bags that day,
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and people indeed
stood in line to receive one.
stood in line to receive one.
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But a feeling came over me;
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I felt bad and a little angry.
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It was like, how could I even feel good
about the work that I was doing
about the work that I was doing
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when I knew for a fact
that not one meal was to come
that not one meal was to come
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from the food we had just given
to over 100 families?
to over 100 families?
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I mean, who wants to have
a meal with barbecue sauce and Ding Dongs?
a meal with barbecue sauce and Ding Dongs?
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02:02
(Laughter)
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02:03
And the reality is,
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I've been part
of this process all my life.
of this process all my life.
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I've participated in food drives,
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I've collected cans since I was a kid,
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I've donated in the grocery store
more times than I can count,
more times than I can count,
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I've volunteered at shelters,
I've worked in food pantries,
I've worked in food pantries,
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and I'm sure, like me,
so many of you have, too.
so many of you have, too.
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In 2013, I even created
a pop-up restaurant,
a pop-up restaurant,
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called Sunday Soul.
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And I rented tables and chairs and linens
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and I printed out menus
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and I took these experiences to alleyways,
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underneath bridges and in parks
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to allow people that were
experiencing homelessness
experiencing homelessness
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to dine with dignity.
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So I've invested in this fight
for quite some time.
for quite some time.
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In almost every major US city,
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the food bank is viewed
as a beloved community institution.
as a beloved community institution.
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Corporations send volunteers down
on a weekly basis
on a weekly basis
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to sort through food items
and make boxes of food for the needy.
and make boxes of food for the needy.
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And can drives --
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they warm the hearts of schools
and office buildings that participate
and office buildings that participate
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and fill the shelves of food banks
and food pantries across the nation.
and food pantries across the nation.
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This is how we work to end hunger.
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03:08
And what I've come to realize
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is that we are doing hunger wrong.
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03:12
We are doing the same things
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over and over and over again
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and expecting a different end result.
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We've created a cycle
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that keeps people dependent on food banks
and pantries on a monthly basis
and pantries on a monthly basis
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for food that is often not well-balanced
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and certainly doesn't provide them
with a healthy meal.
with a healthy meal.
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In the US, our approach to doing good,
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or what we call "charity,"
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has actually hindered us
from making real progress.
from making real progress.
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We're educating the world
on how many people are food insecure.
on how many people are food insecure.
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There are television commercials,
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billboards,
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massive donations,
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the engagement of some
of our biggest celebrities in the fight.
of our biggest celebrities in the fight.
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But the ever-present reality is that,
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even with all of this work,
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millions of people are still going hungry.
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And we can do better.
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Globally, 821 million people are hungry.
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That's one in nine people on this planet.
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And here in the United States,
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nearly 40 million people
experience hunger every single year,
experience hunger every single year,
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including more than 11 million children
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that go to bed hungry every night.
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Yet, we're wasting more food
than ever before --
than ever before --
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more than 80 billion pounds a year,
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to be exact.
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The EPA estimates that food waste
has more than doubled
has more than doubled
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between 1970 and 2017,
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and now accounts for 27 percent
of everything in our landfills.
of everything in our landfills.
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And as this food sits,
it gradually rots
it gradually rots
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and produces harmful methane gas,
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a leading contributor
to global climate change.
to global climate change.
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We have the waste of the food itself,
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the waste of all the money associated
with producing this now-wasted food
with producing this now-wasted food
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and the waste of labor
with all of the above.
with all of the above.
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And then there's the social inequity
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between people who really
need food and can't get it
need food and can't get it
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and people who have too much
and simply throw it away.
and simply throw it away.
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All of this made me realize
that hunger was not an issue of scarcity
that hunger was not an issue of scarcity
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but rather a matter of logistics.
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05:01
So in 2017, I set out
to end hunger using technology.
to end hunger using technology.
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After all, food delivery apps
had begun to explode on the scene,
had begun to explode on the scene,
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and I thought surely we can
reverse-engineer this technology
reverse-engineer this technology
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and get food from businesses
like restaurants and grocery stores
like restaurants and grocery stores
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and into the hands of people in need.
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I believe that technology and innovation
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have the power to solve real problems,
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especially hunger.
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So in 2017, I created an app
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that would inventory everything
that a business sells
that a business sells
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and make it super easy for them
to donate this excess food
to donate this excess food
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that would typically go to waste
at the end of the night.
at the end of the night.
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All the user has to do now
is click on an item,
is click on an item,
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tell us how many they have to donate,
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and our platform calculates
the weight and the tax value
the weight and the tax value
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of those items at time of donation.
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We then connect with local drivers
in the shared economy
in the shared economy
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to get this food picked up
and delivered directly to the doors
and delivered directly to the doors
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of nonprofit organizations
and people in need.
and people in need.
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I provided the data and the analytics
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to help businesses reduce
food waste at the source
food waste at the source
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by letting them know the items
that they waste repeatedly
that they waste repeatedly
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on a regular basis,
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and they even saved millions of dollars.
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Our mission was simple:
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feed more, waste less.
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And by 2018, our clients included
the world's busiest airport,
the world's busiest airport,
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Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson,
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and we were working
with brands and corporations
with brands and corporations
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like Hormel, Chick-fil-A and Papa John's.
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We even had the opportunity
to work with the NFL for Super Bowl LIII.
to work with the NFL for Super Bowl LIII.
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And over the last two years,
we've worked with over 200 business
we've worked with over 200 business
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to divert more than two million pounds
of edible food from landfills
of edible food from landfills
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into the hands of people
that needed it most.
that needed it most.
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(Applause)
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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This has accounted
for about 1.7 million meals
for about 1.7 million meals
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and allowed us to start to expand
our efforts to other cities,
our efforts to other cities,
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like Washington, DC, Chicago,
Miami, Philadelphia and more.
Miami, Philadelphia and more.
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That's just one approach
that actually tackles the problem.
that actually tackles the problem.
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Another was the launch
of our pop-up grocery stores.
of our pop-up grocery stores.
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We recover excess food from businesses
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and set up free community grocery stores
right in the middle of food deserts.
right in the middle of food deserts.
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We bring out a chef,
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and we do on-site taste-testings and allow
families to leave with recipe cards.
families to leave with recipe cards.
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We give every family reusable grocery bags
and allow them to simply shop
and allow them to simply shop
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minus the price tag.
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We wanted to give people access to meals
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and not just food.
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We wanted to change the way that we think
and work to solve hunger in this country,
and work to solve hunger in this country,
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get people to believe
that we can solve hunger,
that we can solve hunger,
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not as a nonprofit,
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not as a food bank
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but as a social enterprise,
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with the goal of reducing waste
and ending hunger.
and ending hunger.
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But it hasn't been as easy as I thought
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to change the narrative
and the thought process
and the thought process
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on how we think that hunger can be solved.
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In 2016, France became the first country
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to ban supermarkets
from throwing away unused food.
from throwing away unused food.
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Instead, they must donate it,
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and they're fined if they don't.
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Yes.
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(Applause)
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In 2017, Italy followed suit,
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becoming the second European nation
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to pass an anti-food-waste ban.
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And they stated it so simply
as it was passed through legislation:
as it was passed through legislation:
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"We have millions of pounds
of good food going to waste,
of good food going to waste,
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and we have poor people
that are going hungry."
that are going hungry."
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That simple.
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Denmark now has a mandated
food waste grocery store.
food waste grocery store.
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Its name: Wefood.
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They recover excess food
from local grocery stores
from local grocery stores
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and sell it at up to
a 50 percent off discount.
a 50 percent off discount.
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They then use all the proceeds
and donate it to emergency aid programs
and donate it to emergency aid programs
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and social need issues
for the people in need.
for the people in need.
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It has been hailed as
"the Goodwill of grocery."
"the Goodwill of grocery."
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And last year, the world got its first
pay-what-you-can grocery store,
pay-what-you-can grocery store,
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when Feed it Forward opened in Toronto.
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Their shelves remain stocked
by recovering excess food
by recovering excess food
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from major supermarkets
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and allowing families
to simply pay what they can
to simply pay what they can
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at their grocery store.
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This is amazing.
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This innovation we need more of.
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Everyone can take on the roles
of changing the attitudes
of changing the attitudes
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about how we solve hunger.
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When we think of how we've allowed
innovation and technology
innovation and technology
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to change our lives,
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from how we communicate with each other
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to how we view our entertainment
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to how we even receive food,
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it's amazing that we haven't
solved hunger yet.
solved hunger yet.
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We literally have cars
that can drive themselves
that can drive themselves
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and millions of people
that cannot feed themselves.
that cannot feed themselves.
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With millions of dollars being donated
to end food insecurity,
to end food insecurity,
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we should've solved hunger years ago.
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And I asked myself --
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(Applause)
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I asked myself, why can't we
escape this vicious cycle?
escape this vicious cycle?
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Why haven't we solved this problem?
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I remember meeting with investors
and pitching the idea,
and pitching the idea,
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trying to raise funds for my business,
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and one of them said to me,
in true seriousness,
in true seriousness,
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"Hunger is already being solved,"
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as if millions of people weren't going
to go to bed hungry that very night,
to go to bed hungry that very night,
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and as if there was nothing else to do.
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And the reality is,
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one would think
that hunger is being solved,
that hunger is being solved,
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but the truth is, it's being worked on.
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If we really want to solve hunger,
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then we have to change
the way we've been doing it.
the way we've been doing it.
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The same actions will always
garner the same results.
garner the same results.
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There are hundreds of social
entrepreneurs all over the world.
entrepreneurs all over the world.
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They have a focus to solve
really big problems, like hunger,
really big problems, like hunger,
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but they'll never get the same support
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that we give national hunger-fighting
organizations and food banks.
organizations and food banks.
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But, if given the opportunity,
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they have the ability to foster insight
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and perhaps be forward-thinking enough
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to solve this problem.
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That's why I'm traveling the world
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and I'm really talking about
what hunger looks like in America
what hunger looks like in America
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and explaining the difference between
giving people access to food
giving people access to food
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and access to meals.
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I've been meeting
with city council members
with city council members
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and city organizers across the US
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and telling them that technology
indeed does have the power
indeed does have the power
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to connect businesses with surplus food
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to people in need,
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and explaining to them
what a meal can actually mean to a family.
what a meal can actually mean to a family.
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I've been meeting with school boards
and school districts
and school districts
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to talk about how we feed hungry children,
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and health care organizations,
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sharing the message that food is health,
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and food is life,
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and that, by solving hunger,
we can solve so many more problems.
we can solve so many more problems.
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So if we want to know
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that we don't live in a nation
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where perfectly good food goes to waste
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when our neighbors don't have food to eat,
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then we need to change the laws.
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We need to introduce new policies,
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and, most importantly, we need to change
our minds and our actions.
our minds and our actions.
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Food drives are fine.
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Food banks serve a huge purpose.
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And yes, sometimes I like Ding Dongs, too.
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But the reality is that food drives
do not solve hunger.
do not solve hunger.
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And if we are smart
about connecting the dots
about connecting the dots
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that are right in front of our noses,
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we can do far more than give a family
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a box of superhero-shaped
vegetable-enriched macaroni noodles
vegetable-enriched macaroni noodles
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and a gallon of barbecue sauce
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to feed themselves.
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Instead, we can
give them back their dignity.
give them back their dignity.
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Perhaps we can increase
school attendance in schools.
school attendance in schools.
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We can improve the health
outcomes for millions.
outcomes for millions.
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And, most importantly, we can reduce
food waste in our landfills,
food waste in our landfills,
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creating a better
environment for all of us.
environment for all of us.
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The thing I love most is that
we can feel good about it in the process.
we can feel good about it in the process.
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If we solve hunger,
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we have nothing to lose
and everything to gain.
and everything to gain.
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So let's do it.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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Thank you.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jasmine Crowe - Hunger heroJasmine Crowe is the creator of Goodr, a tech-enabled sustainable food waste management company that strives to eliminate hunger and save food from landfills.
Why you should listen
Jasmine Crowe is working to make the world a better place by reducing food waste and ending hunger. She has hosted events in more than 20 US cities and in the UK, South Africa and Haiti. She has collected and donated more than two million food items to causes worldwide and fed more than 80,000 people through the Sunday Soul Homeless feeding initiative.
Through her years of work feeding vulnerable populations, Crowe saw a great opportunity for technology to solve a real problem: hunger. In January 2017, Crowe founded Goodr, a food management platform that allows users in the food industry to track and redirect surplus food. Under Jasmine's direction, Goodr has now diverted nearly two million pounds of food from landfills and serves clients including Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson Airport, the NFL and Netflix.
Jasmine Crowe | Speaker | TED.com