Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a company’s commitment to operating ethically and sustainably. It includes taking into account the impact of its business activities on employees, suppliers, communities and the environment. Private sector entities should align their strategies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help eradicate poverty, end hunger, protect the planet and promote social and economic development. This includes integrating sustainable practices, investing in green technologies and fostering inclusive growth.
Companies that produce fertilizers, seeds, farming equipment, animal drugs, or other farming products should ensure their products are sustainable, respectful of biodiversity, safe, culturally appropriate, as well as relevant and affordable for small-scale producers and family farmers so they can produce more and better food.
Private businesses need to create inclusive markets with business models that respect human rights, promote decent work and value accountability. They need to promote gender equality through inclusive hiring practices, equal wages and protection, women-specific training and development programs, equal access to resources and opportunities and a safe working place with adequate facilities. They can also develop and market products that cater to the needs of women farmers and support initiatives that empower women within the agricultural value chain.
Food companies and manufacturers need to develop and provide affordable nutritious foods to consumers providing greater dietary diversity and quality, while prioritizing nutrition across the food supply chain involves reducing saturated fats, trans fats, added sugars, and salt in current products, alongside innovating new items with improved nutritional profiles to address public health issues.
Food businesses and manufacturers must strive to achieve better food safety and quality along food chains, especially in low-income countries. In managing the health and welfare of terrestrial and aquatic animals, alongside our own health, we also need to adopt the One Health approach, including the appropriate and prudent use of antimicrobial agents.
Food systems are responsible for more than one-third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), contributing significantly to climate change. This disproportionately affects the world’s rural poor who rely on agriculture for a living. The private sector must pioneer responsible practices of production and consumption, while the food industry can source sustainably produced ingredients, reduce waste and opt for more sustainable packaging.
If your company operates within the financial sector, you can support local economies in their efforts to produce diverse, nutritious foods by putting financial tools in the hands of economically marginalized communities and exploring ways to provide economic support to local farmers’ communities or micro-credits to small-scale farming families and households for purchasing farming inputs from local markets.
Media companies, or any business with a communication network, can leverage their reach to educate the public about healthy diets and sustainable production, while helping to draw attention to issues related to hunger, obesity and other forms of malnutrition.
The private sector needs to be fully engaged in global sustainable development to contribute to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda. They need to create inclusive markets, prioritize standard development principles, human rights and accountability, and support international organizations and local nongovernmental organizations when engaging in developing countries.
It is crucial that important advancements in innovative technologies for the breeding of safe and nutritious varieties of crops are shared, particularly with low-income countries. Private entities also need to foster the transfer of knowledge to improve storage, preservation, transport and distribution technologies, and infrastructure to reduce seasonal food insecurity and food and nutrient loss and waste.
Up to 13% food produced for human consumption is lost and a further 19% is wasted by households, retail and food services. The food retail and hospitality sectors can play a key role in helping reduce food waste. Supermarkets and restaurants can join programmes to donate safe foods that would otherwise spoil or be wasted to food banks or relief organisations or charity organizations.
Work with FAO and other global businesses to build a future, where everyone has access to a sustainable, healthy diet. Support efforts by governments to implement the Right to Food Guidelines as well as the Voluntary Guidelines on Food Systems and Nutrition offered by the Committee on World Food Security (CFS). This inclusive platform allows stakeholders to work together to ensure food security and nutrition for all. The CFS’s Framework for Action for Food Security and Nutrition in Protracted Crises, also offers a comprehensive list of actions to help address such issues in times of prolonged or recurrent crises. Additionally, the CONNECT Portal provides news, stories and information about FAO’s engagements with the private sector.
