New plant-based food brands may be missing out on a marketing opportunity
New plant-based food brands may be missing out on a marketing opportunity
Free food pantries are an easy way to gain consumers, get charitable tax write-offs, reduce food waste
Every time there is a “top annoying people” listicle, omnivores are going to make sure vegans and vegetarians make it onto the list. Their reasons are not always factual, but they’re going to wag a fist at this animal-friendly crew regardless.
While there are 1.5 billion vegetarians worldwide and $7.4 billion of plant-based food was purchased in the United States, these numbers may feel small compared to the 8.08 billion people overall. For vegetarian brands and vegan brands, trying to find interested consumers may be a tough sale, even with paid social media ads and influencers. Although vegetarians and vegans are clearly out in the world, it’s not always clear where to find them.
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But one avenue that vegan and vegetarian brands, on top of any newer food brand, may want to try more often is free food pantries. Here’s why.
On the average person’s grocery list, they’re picking up the usual suspects: meat, bread, potatoes, milk, fruit, eggs, the sorta things that retail stores would never be out of. But it’s those rare or unknown food brands sitting in the middle of a random aisle (and often in the “ethnic” section or buried behind popular brands) that grocery store consumers and everyday workers may overlook.
From personal experience, these are just a few examples of vegan and vegetarian food brands that I’ve found while walking my dog, and I’m going to guess they were from a Whole Foods Market or Trader Joe’s drop-off or an omnivore who was disgusted at the idea of even attempting to eat anything but meat and potatoes.
The best part of it all is I’d never heard of any of these brands, including No Chicken Broth, Trader Joe’s tri-color quinoa, Simple Mills thins, Haddar hearts of palm, Thai Kitchen red curry paste and Plant Boss crumbles. After trying a free (full-sized) version, I went straight to the nearest grocery store to buy more of these items. I even looked up YouTube videos to figure out what I could cook with these products.
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While food brands, especially newer companies, may think online advertising or buying a tent at the nearest vegan festival is the best way to advertise their product, the casual stroller who is walking her dog or the person who just got off a Metra train and is on his way home may be the best customer to cater to. They don’t necessarily have food on the brain during their commute nor are they thinking about unknown brands. But this is their regular walking route, so they’ll notice what’s new.
And who doesn’t like free stuff or a good deal?
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From helping people in need of food to reducing food waste
Free food pantries make it much easier for a consumer who regrets a grocery purchase to avoid discarding food. While about 50% of the packaged products in less-strict free food pantries are sealed, bagged or canned, restaurants are also taking advantage of these little houses. On many occasions, in my neighborhood bins and one refrigerator/freezer combo, jumbo bags of fresh bread; cold fruit, cheese and vegetable platters; and aluminum platters of grilled vegetables and rice were dropped off. While the appliance was broken recently, the cold (or hot) food didn’t stay in there long enough for this to be of concern.
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I’d often see people marching up to the free food pantries with rolling shopping carts, a suitcase on wheels, multiple grocery bags or packing up a bicycle basket. While some could argue that this free food was meant for those “in need” and homeless people, just because someone doesn’t look the part does not mean they couldn’t use a few extra groceries. No one knows whether that next passersby is living check to check or just lost her job.
And for long-time pantry seekers, this is a perfect opportunity to trade a food they don’t want for one they do want. There have been many days when I would pay it forward and grab nothing, wait a couple of weeks and then scoop up a few things at once. I did this often after a family member passed away and had a load of leftovers in his refrigerator and cabinets.
Are food donations tax deductible?
Free food bin drop-offs may not be the best way to donate food if the end goal is to get a tax write-off. The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 created additional reporting requirements for individual taxpayers making noncash charitable contributions. However, there is a special business tax rule for higher deductions when it comes to contributions of food inventory for the care of the ill, needy or infants.
The amount of charitable contributions of food inventory a business taxpayer can deduct under this rule is limited to a percentage (usually 15%) of the taxpayer’s aggregate net income or taxable income. (In 2020 during the pandemic, it was 25%.) However, businesses would have to be very meticulous about documenting any food drop-offs that they regularly made to one of these food bins.
What goes in, what comes out
Similar to the free library stands, it helps to have a few volunteers who will make sure the free food pantries don’t get out of control. Some passersby shove books inside of free food pantries instead of walking a few feet to a free book box.
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And with larger, free food pantries, some may try to dump toys or clothes inside, treating it like a huge Salvation Army bin. On one hand, as long as people are collecting the clothes and need them, what’s the harm? On the other hand, if it becomes more clothes than food, it defeats the purpose of the bin. This is where volunteers must make sure people understand the primary (or sole) reason for the box.
These free food drop-offs are a happy medium for everyone: those who don’t want to waste food, those who need food, unfamiliar food brands who want to get the word out about their products, restaurants and bakeries who don’t want to waste food, and grocery stores with food that is too close to the expiration date to sell it. While my personal reason for poking my head inside is to see what food is there for “annoying” vegans and vegetarians to enjoy, as long as it decreases the 30% to 40% of food waste, it’s a win-win for everybody.
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