This episode explores the issue of food waste in the U.S. and the logistical challenges of addressing hunger, featuring Jasmine Crowe-Houston, a social entrepreneur, in conversation with Manoush Zomorodi. Crowe-Houston shares the origin story of Goodr, a company she founded after realizing the lack of dignity in how food is often distributed to people experiencing homelessness. Goodr operates with a two-sided business model, helping businesses divert edible food from landfills to people in need, such as shelters, schools, and churches, while providing data on waste reduction and environmental impact. More significantly, Goodr also tackles hunger directly by building free grocery stores inside schools and delivering meals to students. Crowe-Houston emphasizes that hunger is not a scarcity issue but a logistics problem, highlighting that 40% of food is wasted, and she advocates for holding companies accountable for their sustainability promises, noting that many engage in "greenwashing." Goodr uses an app to efficiently manage food donations, connecting businesses with excess food to those who need it, leveraging the shared economy for transportation, and providing tax benefits to donating companies.
