Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge


As of May, 24, 2022, 43 companies have pledged a promising USD 458 million in 48 countries as part of the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge.

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge is an opportunity for companies and investment funds to align their investments with new evidence and commitments by donors, governments, and global institutions to end hunger and nourish the future by 2030.

What are we asking companies to do?

The pledge encourages companies to make an investment in at least one of the 10 high-impact intervention areas from the Ceres2030 evidence and in at least one of the priority countries or regions. The company has to name the partners it will work with to achieve the action.

The pledge requires companies to comply with host state laws and regulations, and commit to internationally accepted principles, including but not limited to:

  • the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS-RAI)
  • the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes
  • the Principles of the UN Global Compact
  • the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights

Why are we asking companies to pledge?

Across the world, up to 811 million people do not have enough food. Over the past years, consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have further deteriorated the situation by pushing millions of vulnerable people into greater food insecurity. According to recent estimates, 45 million people in 43 countries are at risk of sliding into famine – the most extreme form of hunger.  The consequence of diets lacking vitamins and other nutrients are affecting millions more, and casting a shadow over the future of communities and entire countries.

If we cannot deliver on ending hunger and malnutrition, then we have not transformed food systems. This is the litmus test.

A specific set of investments - described by new evidence from Ceres2030, Program of Accompanying Research for Agricultural Innovation (PARI) 2020, and the State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI) 2021 are needed to end hunger. These reports show that donors must double current public spending. Governments have to juggle multiple priorities due to the pandemic and the associated economic downturn. This is why large companies can and should step in to increase efforts toward achieving zero hunger by 2030. Transforming food systems to end hunger and malnutrition, ensure safe and nutritious food for all, support sustainable consumption shifts, reduce carbon emissions, generate decent and dignified livelihoods, and build resilience to future shocks requires more and better private sector investments.

Whose idea was the pledge?

The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge is a game-changing solution that emerged from the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Action Track 1. The implementing organizations are a coalition of international organizations, namely: including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Grow Africa, Grow Asia, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the World Benchmarking Alliance, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Food Programme

To date, we have mobilized several supporting companies and organized a parallel session during the UNFSS pre-Summit in July, which laid the groundwork for a high-level pledging moment from companies at the Summit in September.

The signing of this pledge does not constitute an endorsement by implementing organizations of the company or its activities. The implementing organizations of this pledge are not directly affiliated with the companies through the signing of this pledge. The implementing organizations of this pledge reserve the right to revoke or suspend the pledge if the company fails to comply with the governing principles of the pledge. 

If you are a company and you would like to be part of the official launch on 21 September 2021 please fill in your pledge by midnight CET on Sunday 19 September 2021. Companies can pledge at any time and can pledge multiple times. This initiative will end on 31 December 2030.

# Company Name Total Commitment (USD)* Countries and/or Regions
1 AFCO Investment Co. Ltd 34,480  Tanzania
2 AGREA Agricultural Systems International, Inc. 1,030,640 Philippines
3 Agrinutrition Enterprise tbc Kenya
4 Airstrip Blessing Youth Group tbc Kenya
5 Ajinomoto Co., Inc. 11,211,564 Global, Africa, Thailand
6 Arla Foods Ingredients Group P/S 250,734 Ethiopia
7 BASF 11,190,346 Multiple countries, such as Ethiopia, Egypt and Nigeria
8 Bayer 160,000,000 Multiple countries - Africa, Asia, Latin America
9 Cato Foods and Agroallied Global Concepts 1,049,095 Nigeria
10 ColdHubs 5,000,000 Nigeria
11 Delish and Nutri Ltd 179,160 Kenya
12 DULCET Enterprise 7,000 Cameroon
13 Emeci Technologies Ltd 43,100 Tanzania
14 EastWest Seed 18,000,000 Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Philippines, India and Bangladesh
15 Happi Foods Farms Limited 1,000 Kenya
16 Homes Industries Ltd tbc Malawi
17 JBS 9,215,550 Brazil
18 Kamsa Poultry Ltd 90 Kenya
19 Keelings 2,735,016 Morocco
20 Kinshaga Food Products and Companies Limited 25,000 Tanzania
21 Mamaland Mushroom Farms 25,000 Tanzania
22 Morination Agricultural Products 1,820,000 Philippines
23 Mycelia & Foods Ltd 448 Kenya
24 Mzuzu Dairy Ltd 13,332 Malawi
25 Nasinya Dairy Ltd 420,768 Tanzania
26 NGO 350 Côte d'Ivoire 8,885 Cote d'Ivoire
27 NutriCare  83,580 Malawi
28 Nutriset 1,853,401 Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, India,
Madagascar, Nigeria, Sudan
29 Nutritious Agriculture Network and Consultancy
Limited
1,000 Kenya
30 Nyangorora Banana Processors Limited 8,958 Kenya
31 PepsiCo 100,000,000 Africa, Asia, Latin America, South Africa
32 Prosoya Kenya Limited 1,282,227 Kenya
33 Rabobank 96,749,863 Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
34 Renman Africa tbc Kenya
35 Rieta AgroSciences Tanzania Ltd 23,760 Tanzania
36 Sahel Consulting Agriculture & Nutrition 200,000 Nigeria
37 Sir Hackson Processors 50,000 Malawi
38 Superior Mwitha 541 Kenya
39 Unilever 34,969,830 Africa, Asia, Latin America
40 United Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd tbc Kenya
41 Upfield 1,894,617 Kenya
42 Wefahson Limited 1,000 Kenya
43 Multiple Companies** 110,000,000 Africa, Asia, Latin America, Brazil, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire,
DR Congo, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India,
Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Papua New
Guinea, Peru, Togo, Uganda
  Number of Companies Total Commitments (USD) Number of Countries/Regions
  43 458,000,000 48

* The pledge amounts have been converted in USD using the OANDA average rate for the last 180 days as of the latest update (19 May 2022).

**As of 19 May 2022, the total amount includes an aggregate investment worth 6m that has been pledged but the commitment not yet finalized

***Three companies have advised us of their commitment level and priority countries, but need more time before making the details public. Hence we have included this information in the overall total and will provide the additional details in the coming weeks.

Pledges can be sent to Carin Smaller, IISD csmaller@iisd.org. After the launch of the pledge, there will be a dedicated website and email address where companies can submit their pledges