BOISE, Idaho — After a COVID delay in 2021, Simplot Australia and Foodbank celebrated their 25-year partnership at Simplot’s food manufacturing facility in Echuca (Victoria).
With more than one in six adults in Australia being food insecure at any one point throughout the year, and 1.2 million children going hungry during the same period, it is an important partnership that aims to address food insecurity in Australian communities.
In speaking about the longstanding partnership Simplot Australia’s Executive Director of Human Resources and Transformation, Sue Smith, said, “Our core business of agriculture and food manufacturing provides quality, sustainable and nourishing food to consumers but what we are doing with Foodbank speaks to what motivates us all as humans. It is about making a difference and supporting people in our community when they need it most.”
A major feature of the partnership has been Simplot’s involvement in Foodbank’s Collaborative Supply Program. With an increasing demand for food relief in Australia and a focus to reduce waste, Foodbank collaborates with manufacturers and their component suppliers to produce a sustainable source of key staple foods that don’t come in sufficient quantities via normal rescue channels.
Photographed left to right: Dane Smith, Simplot Australia Executive Director Supply Chain, Sue Smith, Simplot Australia Executive Director Human Resources and Transformation, Councillor Paul Jarman Campaspe Shire, Brianna Casey, CEO Foodbank Australia, The Honourable Peter Walsh, Member for Murray Plains and David Maddison, Echuca Plant Manager.
CEO of Foodbank Australia, Brianna Casey, visited Simplot to meet and thank the team, “After two and half years of not being able to travel or meet face to face, this has been one event worth waiting for. It has been wonderful to meet the Simplot team who every year produce Leggo’s delicious Napoletana sauce as part of our world-leading Collaborative Supply Program. This program is vital as it ensures our Foodbank warehouses around the country are stocked with staples like pasta sauce and available for the many people doing it tough.”
Since 2011, Simplot has donated more than 2.5 million units of product to the Collaborative Supply Program. This year alone over 300,000 jars of Leggo’s pasta sauce and Chicken Tonight will be provided to Foodbank, which is equivalent to about 1.2 million meals.
Simplot’s Leggo’s Napoletana sauce, which is produced at the Echuca site, now proudly displays the Foodbank logo highlighting to consumers that it is a company that is driven by its purpose of contributing to feeding the world and is steadfast in giving Aussies a helping hand.
About Simplot
The J.R. Simplot Company is a family-owned, privately held global food and agriculture company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Its integrated portfolio includes food processing and food brands, phosphate mining, fertilizer manufacturing, farming, ranching and cattle production, and other enterprises related to agriculture. Simplot has major operations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, and China, with products and services available to customers worldwide. For more information, visit www.simplot.com.
