Social Media And Food: The Sharing Gap

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., Oct. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- New figures reveal that, each day globally, 3.5 million photos of food are posted, liked and shared around the world¹. That's an online food conversation totalling 1.2 billion posts in the space of a year on a global scale. But we are sharing food so that it can be admired, not eaten. Shared, but not shared.

The World Food Programme (WFP) tells us that the latest figures show that 815 million people² - or one in nine of the global population – still go to bed hungry. If one in nine of our food photos this week globally was instead a donation of a meal – just 25 cents - 2 million more people would be fed this week alone.

This World Food Day, Knorr is giving food lovers the opportunity to turn their food posts into a real meal for someone in need.  On October 16^th, each time Knorr's #ShareTheMeal post is shared or retweeted on Facebook and Twitter, Knorr will donate the equivalent of one meal via the World Food Programme (WFP), up to a total of 1.5 million meals. Knorr is also encouraging people to download WFP's ShareTheMeal app which enables them to take a food photo and donate as little as 47 cents, enough to feed a child for a day, with a simple tap on their smartphone.

The money donated by Knorr will give families in need – via WFP's system of cash-based transfers - the means to choose and buy their own food with dignity and freedom. This year's campaign builds upon the success of previous World Food Day activations, which have seen Knorr donate over 3 million nutritious school meals since 2014 through its partnership with the World Food Programme.

"As a society, we have never been more passionate about food. There are 1.2 billion social media posts using the hashtag #food each year. Yet 815 million people go hungry. This has to change," said Cathryn Sleight, EVP Knorr. "As one of the world's largest food brands, we can't ignore this imbalance and we feel a responsibility to try and change these statistics for the better. The causes of global hunger are complex, but on World Food Day we invite people to join us in raising awareness of the problem and taking action. Whether it's sharing our post or actually making a donation themselves through the WFP's ShareTheMeal app, everyone can make a difference."

"In 2016, WFP empowered over 14 million people with the power to choose and prepare the right food to share with their families," said Prerana Issar, Director of Private Sector Partnerships for the World Food Programme. "This year on World Food Day, Knorr's call to reach out and share a meal through social media is an inspiring example of how a simple action can make a big difference in someone's life."

The ShareTheMeal app is available to download here https://app.adjust.com/u0ts56, on iOS AND Android platforms.

About Unilever Partnership with the UN World Food Programme
Unilever and its global partner, the UN World Food Programme, have been working together since 2007 to provide school meals in the developing world. During that time, Unilever has provided over $30 million of support to World Food Programme. In 2014, Knorr, Unilever's largest brand, made its first donation of one million nutritious cooked school meals on World Food Day. Knorr repeated this donation again in 2015 and 2016, helping WFP to provide a total of 3 million school meals since 2014. Overall, the Unilever Global Partnerships team's mission is to improve quality of life by providing hygiene, sanitation, access to safe drinking water and basic nutrition and by enhancing self-esteem.

About Knorr:
Our passion for flavour goes right back to Knorr®'s beginnings in 1838. From our iconic bouillon cubes to our delicious range of soups, we are always searching for the best flavours around the world - every single day. High quality is our food philosophy – one that's been years in the making and we love inspiring people to approach the kitchen with a large measure of confidence. We are proud to be the 8th most chosen FMCG brand in the world (according to Kantar World Panel) and Unilever's largest brand, with a yearly sales value of over 4 billion Euros. Our products are sold in more than 87 countries around the world and our flavours are enjoyed by more than 320 million people every day. Our 300+ dedicated chefs are true culinary experts and represent over 48 nationalities, making us one of the biggest employers of professional chefs worldwide. Our mission is to unlock flavour and goodness from everyday food, from farm to fork. We believe that by sourcing our ingredients sustainably, our food tastes better. It's as simple as that. So our ingredients are grown naturally, out there under the sun, in rich, fertile soils and with care for the environment. Want some flavour inspiration? Visit www.Knorr.com.

About the World Food Programme (WFP) and World Food Day
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries. World Food Day was established in 1981 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and offers the chance to strengthen national and international solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. For more information about WFP, visit www.wfp.org.

About WFPs ShareTheMeal donation app
ShareTheMeal allows smartphone users to share their meals with hungry people via a free iOS and Android app. ShareTheMeal is an initiative of the World Food Programme.

¹ Social media volumes were collected on behalf of Knorr by the Edelman Intelligence Command Center, an online media listening tool. The data was collected on the 31^st of August 2017 for the period of the 30^th of August 2017 monitoring the use of and engagement with #food.

² The State of Food Insecurity and Nutrition in the World Report – 2017 https://www.wfp.org/content/2017-state-food-security-and-nutrition-world-sofi-report

SOURCE Unilever United States, Inc.