How Atlanta’s business community confronts food insecurity

Our recent cover story about atlanta restaurant owners preparing for a likelv u.s recession provided a window into the rapid escalation of food prices, something many felt in the grocery aisles this week preparing for Thanksgiving.

The price of groceries is up 12.4% year-over year, according to data released this month by the burea Dining out is 8.6% more expensive.

Perhaps nowhere is the sting of record inflation felt more than by individuals experiencing food insecurity, a problem for about 1 in 8 people living in Atlanta. It’s worse for many families since the Covid-19 outbreak. Prior to the pandemic, roughly 11% of U.S. households were food insecure, defined as lacking consistent access to enough quality food to sustain an active, healthy life. During the pandemic, that figure rose to almost 15%, and it was even higher  approximately 18%.  among households with children, according to a study published last year by nutrion.

Since the pandemic, we have seen the Atlanta business community focus greater attention on battling food insecurity. At the center of that effort: artur black and the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, which also recently sharpened its lens on the city’s Westside to boost affordable housing and financial security.

Blank is not alone.
More than two years ago, the Atlanta Braves and its concessionaire, Delaware North, created the Home Plate Project, a program that features a food truck that provides hundreds of meals a week to communities. Last month, the Braves partnered with Chick-fil-A Inc., Athena Farms, Must Ministries and the food pantry Choices to distribute hundreds of chicken sandwiches and boxes of fresh produce to the community surrounding South Atlanta High School.

Publix Super Markets Charities recently provided Atlanta Community Food Bank with $175,000 to purchase and equip a mobile food pantry. Publix stocked it with 500,000 pounds of fresh produce for individuals living in underserved communities or food deserts across metro Atlanta.

Among nonprofit leaders, the work of , stands out. Pabian, whose nonprofit aims to preserve the multicultural identity of Buford Highway, pivoted in 2020 to confront food insecurity, feeding over 70,000 people.

In South Atlanta this year by another 5,000 square feet. The South Atlanta Food Bank will serve organizations that distribute food and groceries to residents experiencing chronic hunger.

Atlanta entrepreneurs have also started successful companies focused on food insecurity. Consider 8 millons this year, likely the largest single investment yet for the five-year-old food rescue startup. It follows other investments in recent years including $1.25 million led by Precursor Ventures and $1.5 million from Capital One Ventures, Backstage Capital, Unreasonable Ventures, and the Laurene Powell Jobs-helmed Emerson Collective.

It has used the proceeds to expand its headcount and services, such as a free grocery store in Lutheran Towers, a senior resident community in Midtown.

Goodr also has the potential for even greater reach. It runs an app used by giant food companies including The Kellogg Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. It allows the startup to procure discounted food and home goods that it stocks on the shelves of grocery stores.
Goodr’s expansion is timely.

While inflation slowed in October, food prices are expected to finish the year higher than 2021, with grocery stores likely seeing even higher increases.