“Eat your vegetables!” It’s advice most of us have received at some time in our lives. But, doing so isn’t always easy. For 12 million people in the U.S. who live in urban “food deserts,” – low-income areas more than a mile from a supermarket[1] - access to fresh produce and other nutritious foods is especially challenging.

That’s why Kellogg and several of our brands are teaming up with United Way to plant and care for gardens in nine U.S. communities in honor of World Environment Day on June 5.  Our partnership, called United Against Food Deserts, addresses food security by bringing together local non-profits and volunteers with Kellogg employees from our manufacturing plants and offices. As volunteers harvest fruits and vegetables from the gardens later in the growing season, they’ll share the fresh produce with people who otherwise might have difficulty accessing these delicious foods. 

From our earliest days, Kellogg has been a purpose-driven organization, a company with a heart and soul. That’s why we support programs like United Against Food Deserts. We’re committed to ensuring more sustainable food systems today and in the future. Across the globe, in fact, our Kellogg colleagues are also supporting important environmentally and socially responsible work, such as:

• In Asia Pacific, our kitchen garden project with TechnoServe helps families in the rural areas of India’s Madhya Pradesh state improve their nutrition by planting small, home vegetable gardens. Families sell the foods they don’t eat to increase their incomes.
• In Europe, we’re turning food waste, including used cooking oil, into bio-gas to produce electricity and bio-components for fuel.
• In Latin America, we’re partnering with Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT)- the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center - and the Grupo SACSA agricultural services company, training farm advisors to help small- and medium-sized farmers sustainably produce yellow maize for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes® and Zucaritas® for the Mexican market.

On World Environment Day, and every day, Kellogg is creating 3 billion Better Days by the end of 2025 by feeding people in need, providing nutrition education, supporting farmers, encouraging employees to volunteer in their communities, and engaging people in programs that address the important, worldwide issue of food security. You can read more about our work in our Corporate Responsibility Report. To volunteer at any of these events or to find an urban garden near you, find out more at OpenForBreakfast.com.