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May 6, 2025
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Funding tech incubators can qualify as CSR spend

India Inc looking to lend a helping hand to the startup ecosystem will soon be able to use its corporate social responsibility corpus for the same. The government panel on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is likely to suggest tweaks to the CSR framework to allow funding to all incubators to be counted towards CSR spend, a government official privy to the deliberations said.

As per the current provisions, contributions or funds provided to technology incubators located within academic institutions and approved by government qualify as CSR.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had sought widening of this definition to include other incubators as well, and it is likely to be part of the changes being considered for the CSR framework, the official said.

Only about Rs 54 crore was spent on technology incubators under CSR during 2014-17, which is meagre compared to spend on education, at Rs 10,651 crore, and healthcare, at Rs 6,671 crore.

The panel is also expected to look at other changes based on stakeholder feedback. and experience. The report is expected soon and could be taken up for implementation post elections.

The government had set up a high-level committee headed by corporate affairs secretary Injeti Srinivas in September 2018 to review the existing CSR framework and make a road map for coherent policy.

The panel includes Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran, sportsman Prakash Padukone and HelpAge India CEO Mathew Cherian. It was tasked with not just looking at CSR laws, but also at rules and circulars issued from time to time and analyse outcomes of CSR activities, programmes and projects, and suggest measures for effective monitoring and evaluation of CSR by companies.

It could also propose steps for use of technology and social audits. The provisions of Section 135 of Companies Act, 2013 pertaining to CSR came into force on April 1, 2014.

This section requires every company above the specified thresholds of turnover, or net worth, or net profit to spend at least 2% of its average net profits earned during the three immediately preceding financial years on specified CSR activities. According to government records, the total CSR spend has risen from Rs 10,066 crore in FY15 to Rs 13,464 crore in FY17.

Source: The Economic Times

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CSR: Amazon Employees Ask The Company To Improve Its Climate Change Act

Thousands of Amazon employees have gathered up to stand up against Climate Change. More than 6000 employees of the corporate giant have signed on an unprecedented open letter to CEO Jeff Bezos, demanding that the company do a better job of addressing climate change. The letter has circulated across the company and is garnering more and more attention of the employees, increasing the number of signatures at a rapid speed on the letter.

The Amazon open letter reflects upon the consciousness of today’s employees towards the impact their employers create to the environment and the society. It is a perfect example of the responsible global citizens understanding the fundamental principles of corporate social responsibility and calling on their employers to abide by them.

In the letter, the employees are calling out on the randomized approach to renewable energy goals stating them to be ineffective and insufficient. For example, the letter draws attention to the possibility that Amazon’s carbon emissions could actually increase by 2030 as the company grows.

Specifically, it describes Amazon’s “Shipment Zero” plan as a license to pollute, because it enabled Amazon to use carbon offsets for the recent purchase of 20,000 diesel-powered vans. The letter points out serious deficiencies in those offsets, from a broad corporate social responsibility perspective.

The Amazon climate change letter also reflects the nexus of gender diversity and climate advocacy. Several pieces of research have shown that women are likely to be severely impacted by climate change than men. It points out that lack of gender diversity in the fossil energy companies which are part of the company’s supply chain may also be at work as they face significant recruiting challenges among the millennial workforce.

While the letter is calling out to the company to clean up its act, it paints a positive picture of Amazon’s ability to transform from climate laggard to leader, envisioning a future in which the company can “spark the world’s imagination and redefine what is possible and necessary to address the climate crisis.”

Thank you for reading the column until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

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The CSR Journal Team

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CSR: Rural skilling empowers women

One of the proven ways to improve women empowerment in rural India has been the Self Help Group approach. As SHGs graduate towards micro-enterprise activities which are sustainable, women are experiencing economic empowerment.

Government support

A number of business houses, NGOs as well as the government are currently involved in SHG formation. There is provision of financial support in terms of subsidised loans to SHGs for venturing in to micro-enterprise activities under various government programmes like Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana, Prime Minister Employment Generation Programme and others.
Yet, surveys reveal that many such enterprises have not provided sustainable or decent livelihoods. This may be due to non-suitability of the enterprise activity to the area or incorrect choice, failure to market the produce or service, lack of cohesion and co-operation among the members. Enterprises which received some type of formal support, particularly in marketing and credit requirements on an average performed better in comparison to stand alone enterprises. This is where CSR comes in.

CSR interventions

Empowering women and encouraging their entrepreneurial spirit has become a vital aspect of CSR for business houses like the Tata Group, HUL, Vedanta, Hindalco, Jindal and many others. The CSR projects are mostly carried out in the surrounding areas of the main operational regions, particularly in villages situated closer to the factory location.
For instance, in the case of Jindal Steel, the CSR activities are concentrated around Hisar (Haryana), Jajpur (Odisha), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), and Gurgaon in the Capital region. They have partnerships with non-profit organizations and specialised agencies in most cases.
Some companies like Tata steel, have supported the formation of more than 500 rural enterprises in agriculture, poultry, livestock and community entrepreneurship over the last two decades. It continues to work untiringly towards furthering empowerment by facilitating the formation of around 200 women SHGs every year, who are encouraged to venture into income generating activities.

Self-employment opportunities

Business houses can provide the necessary guidance towards the setting up of micro-enterprises by groups of women belonging to SHGs as well as individual women who want to operate an enterprise as a sole proprietor. Studies have shown that improper selection of the enterprise activity as well as the inability to market the product or service affects the viability and continuity of the enterprise over time.

Wage-employment opportunities

Some enterprise activities like the setting up of a food processing plant or a dairy would require bigger investments due to larger scale of operations. The size of the business may then range from small to medium scale. In these cases, the corporate can also enter in to partnership with a large group of women to operate the enterprise jointly and could follow a social enterprise model.
The ownership could either be a co-operative model where many SHGs are federated and organised by the corporate who acts as a ‘Godfather’. The corporate could subsidise the initial investment either through an endowment or a soft loan. Or, the enterprise could be developed as a joint partnership, with the corporate having joint ownership (holding a maximum of 49%) along with the SHG federation. In this form of enterprise building (in a dairy, food processing /coir processing or any other small/ medium scale unit), the women members are directly involved in the production and therefore would also be wage earners.
SHGs can take up enterprise activities that have either a ready local market or those that have demand in accessible urban areas. According to the suitability of the area or region, specific clusters could be devised, where large number of SHGs can join together and engage in activities like dairy, poultry, fruit and vegetable processing and so on. Here, involvement of the corporate may be a necessary condition right from the incubation and planning stages.
Intensive Dairy Development supported by Cairn India and IFC at Barmar in Rajasthan livestock breeding has been the traditional subsistence strategy in Western Rajasthan for the poor/ marginalised sections of the society in rural areas with limited or no land resources. But the milk production in the state is very low due to the extreme climatic conditions, and majority of the milk produced is retained by the communities for their own use.
The widespread hostile terrain offers limited opportunities for selling the surplus milk. Also, the milk from the marginalised community is not accepted by the upper castes. The collection of the milk is localised and largely managed by private vendors whose traditional milk fat analysis system ensures that the community is unable to derive full benefit from the sale of milk. These reasons in turn had resulted in low prices and lack of incentive to rear/keep animals for commercial purpose.
A case in point is Cairn India. The company decided to support an intensive community-based dairy development programme in western Rajasthan. By design, the programme targeted women, who otherwise had no opportunity for economic emancipation. This project not only enabled them to participate in income generating activities but has also empowered them as organised SHGs exploring other livelihood options. They have also benefitted from the introduction of technology for transparency, accountability, and fair price realization.

Fair wage and fair price

Home-based workers generally receive work from big companies through sub-contractors/ agents at piece rates. There is no fair wage and fair rate for any work. Fair wages can become a reality if the corporate houses provide forward linkages to such home-based workers which could potentially enable them access to bigger markets. Organisations like Dastkar have helped many women engaged in hand embroidery and other crafts, who were earlier at the mercy of middle-men.
Businesses cannot exist in an island of prosperity without caring for the well being of those in the neighbourhood. Corporate houses can provide the push for furthering the progress of women by improving employment opportunities and increasing their participation in economic activities.

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Seawoods Grand Central Mall launches fire safety awareness drive in Navi Mumbai

Fire Service Week is observed across the country in the memory of 66 fire fighters who laid down their lives while fighting fire at the Bombay Dockyard. It took one week April 14 to 20, 1944 to extinguish the fire which broke out on a ship.
Seawoods Grand Central Mall in Navi Mumbai has launched a fire safety awareness drive in collaboration with CIDCO Fire Service and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation – Fire Brigade Department.
In its bid to create awareness and educate citizens of Navi Mumbai on fire safety precautions, the mall is observing Fire Safety Week for the second consecutive year between April 14 and 20, 2019.
Basis this year’s theme “Fire Prevention Is Better Than Fire Fighting”, SGC Mall has launched a slew of activities including a nine day exhibition starting April 14 which will display the equipment that can be useful to avoid and control any mishap due to fire. The exhibition was inaugurated by Keshav Vair Kherkar, Chief Engineer, CIDCO; in presence of Mr. Arvind Mandke, Chief Fire Officer, Fire Brigade Department, CIDCO and along with few senior government officials and SGC Mall representatives.
SGC Mall has also organised a special awareness initiative where in CIDCO Fire Brigade Department hosted a special band performance between on 13th and 14th April. This was followed by a special Q&A session with Mandke, Chief Fire Officer, CIDCO Fire Service on April 14, where citizens got fruitful information on the topic of fire safety.

Amway India organises free health check-up camps for the underprivileged children

With the primary objective of providing quality healthcare to the underprivileged children, Amway India, the country’s largest FMCG Direct Selling Company, organized free health check-up camps in 14 locations across the country. Commemorating the World Health Day, this initiative also included an interactive and educational session with the aim to improve the nutritional knowledge and practices inclusive of hygiene practices and daily dietary requirements.

In association with Mamta Health Institute for Mother and Child, Amway India organized a health check-up camp for assessing the nutritional status of the children below the age of 5 years in West Delhi’s Kirari area. The event included a health talk on ‘Key for Healthy Nation – Awareness of Nutrition for under five children’, followed by a street play on ‘Optimal Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child Health’, to reinforce the message of the importance of nutrition for children below the age of 5 years. In association with Deepalaya School, Amway India organized a health check-up camp for the school children. The camp also included an interesting skit on the inclusion of fruits and vegetables to maintain a healthy diet presented by the school children delivered the message of appropriate nutritional intake requirement in a fun and entertaining way. It was followed by a live demonstration on cooking a healthy meal by Amway India’s representatives.

While stressing the importance of observing World Health Day,GS Cheema, Senior Vice President, North & South, Amway India, said, “As part of Amway’s CSR philosophy of helping people live better lives, our initiative for the World Health Day is focused on improving the quality of life of children and the community at large. Through this initiative, we emphasize on building awareness on preventive healthcare practices to ensure healthy living. We have received an overwhelming response for the initiative, which has benefited over 1000 children across the country. We are confident that this kind of planned and continuous health interventions will further complement the Government’s efforts towards building a healthier nation.”

Keeping up with its commitment to help people live better lives, Amway launched Project Sunrise in India to support underprivileged children. The company works with 16 NGO partners under Project Sunrise in the areas of education, health, and hygiene for the welfare of the children. In line with their vision, Amway had also launched Power of 5 campaign to raise awareness on the issue of childhood malnutrition and bring in the much-needed behavioural shift in mothers and communities at large. Amway India, with its health initiatives, aims to make a positive impact in the lives of people.

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CSR: Setting Internal Carbon Pricing for Companies

With growing concern across the globe for protecting the environment, carbon pricing has garnered a lot of attention by the governments. The countries all over the world are setting up a carbon tax in order to be more accountable for the emissions caused by them. Joining in the movement of fighting against climate change, several businesses are stepping up too by setting internal carbon tax.

Carbon pricing involves putting a cost on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to hold emitters responsible and help drive reductions. While setting an internal price for carbon may seem daunting, but when done correctly, it can be a useful decision-making tool to help companies realise cost savings, manage risks, drive innovation and demonstrate readiness for a rapidly decarbonising global economy.

Based on a report published by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) in 2017, over 1,300 companies, including 139 from Asia, have implemented or plans to implement internal carbon pricing within the next two years. Microsoft uses an internal carbon fee collected to subsidize investments that help the company to reduce its emissions and achieve its goal to be net carbon neutral.

Following are the steps companies can take to develop an internal carbon pricing strategy:

Measure your carbon footprint

Before taking any decision, it is important to gather and study the data. It is important for a company to have a good grip on the scale and reach of its carbon footprint before putting a price on the emissions.

Set clear objectives and define the business benefits

This is an important step as it will help support the business case for why a carbon price is needed. The company needs to be clear about the reason behind setting up carbon tax whether it is ethical, financial or technological. It also needs to be clear about the benefits to the business from this, in order to stay motivated.

Engage stakeholders on internal carbon pricing

Engaging internal stakeholders can help address potential concerns or difficulties for a smooth implementation. Including representatives from the various departments/business units within a carbon pricing committee ensures ownership, accountability and governance.

Choose a carbon pricing approach and set the price

There are tools and guidance available online one can use to set an internal carbon price. A company can start with small steps and then find an appropriate practice that suits it the best.

Measure, communicate and evaluate results

Results from the implementation of internal carbon pricing such as reductions in GHG emissions and cost savings should be evaluated and reported internally and externally to showcase the positive outcomes of the approach and adjusted accordingly if needed to help the company reach its objectives.

Thank you for reading the column until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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USA: Kohl’s Commits $10 Million to Family Health and Wellness

Kohl’s announced it is deepening its long-standing commitment to families and communities through an expanded Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platform, shifting the company’s focus from children’s health to holistic family health and wellness.
Kohl’s is launching new partnerships with two national organizations, Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America, to develop and implement critical programming aimed at improving the physical and emotional well-being of children and families, through donations of $2 million and $3 million respectively.
Additionally, Kohl’s recently announced a $5 million donation to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to help launch a multi-year mental health strategy to improve mental health services for Wisconsin kids and their families in the state where Kohl’s operates its headquarters.
“Enriching the lives of the families we serve and creating meaningful change in the communities we are proud to be part of has always been and will remain at the core of who we are as a company,” said Michelle Gass, Kohl’s chief executive officer.
“Our broadened focus on family health and wellness, particularly the introduction of our support of mental health services and new partnerships with organizations with the expertise to address critical needs, will enable us to make a difference in the everyday wellness of families including physical, mental and emotional well-being.”
Kohl’s existing CSR programs have and will continue to play a critical role in ensuring healthy families and communities, while the sharpened focus on overall family health and wellness will introduce support of mental health programming to create a holistic commitment to overall well-being.

Kohl’s Supports Family Health and Wellness

Kohl’s is helping fund the creation and implementation of three initiatives that enhance children’s physical, mental and emotional well-being, improving families’ health and wellness nationwide. These donations are made possible through Kohl’s philanthropic program, Kohl’s Cares, which sells children’s books and toys and donates 100% of the net profit to support happier and healthier communities nationwide.

New, National Partnerships

Kohl’s is launching new national partnerships with Alliance for a Healthier Generation and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to reach even more children and families across the country.
Alliance for a Healthier Generation: Kohl’s will donate $2 million to launch a new, innovative, family health and wellness initiative, Kohl’s Healthy at Home, that will encourage families to prioritize a healthy lifestyle in their home and wherever their children live, learn and play.
The program, which is designed to address the growing rate of childhood obesity, will be rooted in evidence-based practices that set the foundation for positive life outcomes for children and family members, including improved health and behavioral and academic achievement.
Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Kohl’s gift of $3 million will provide comprehensive social and emotional development training for staff and integrate emotional and social skills into all program curricula, enabling Clubs across the country to take a holistic approach to the health and well-being of the youth they serve.
“The family home is oftentimes the primary place where children receive the tools they need to fully develop and succeed,” said Kathy Higgins, chief executive officer at Healthier Generation. “As an organization committed to empowering kids to make healthier choices through our work with over 45,000 schools and out-of-school programs, we are proud to work with Kohl’s to support families in creating healthy homes where children can thrive.”

Hometown, Milwaukee-Area Partnership

Recently, Kohl’s deepened its commitment to children and families in its home state of Wisconsin with a $5 million donation, over four years, to its long-standing partner Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin to enhance mental health services. The grant will directly address the state’s need for greater access to mental health services for children and generate awareness about the impact a child’s mental health has on his or her holistic well-being. To read the full announcement, click here.
In 2018, some of the company’s most notable CSR highlights included:

Improving Community Health

Kohl’s committed more than $44 million to better communities nationwide through philanthropic efforts;
Donated $11 million to 4,500 nonprofits in recognition of associate volunteer efforts, for a total of more than $166 million since 2001; and
Raised more than $20 million through the Kohl’s Cares Merchandise Program, for a total of nearly $360 million raised since 2000.
Supporting Associate Well-being
Kohl’s championed associate health and wellness through 14 on-site wellness centers, with more than 35,000 associate visits;
Expanded Business Resource Groups to the entire organization and grew membership to nearly 3,000 associates; and
Celebrated each other’s accomplishments with more than 1.7 million peer-to-peer recognitions.

Leaving a Smaller Footprint

Kohl’s exceeded its Better Building Challenge goal to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent and committed to another 15 percent energy reduction;
Was named one of the 2019 World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, and earned accolades from both the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Barron’s list of the Top 100 Sustainable Companies; and
Diverted 83 percent of waste from landfills, closing in on its goal of 85 percent.
Source: Digital Journal

50 women business leaders & entrepreneurs raise funds for farm widows of Maharashtra

In India, a farmer commits suicide once every 32 minutes. Since 1995, over 3,00,000 farmers have committed suicide leaving behind distraught wives and children, many having no roof over their head. To help such farmers’ widows to get back on their feet, Habitat for Humanity India has been helping the widows to build a home for their family.
As part of a wider humanitarian effort, 50 women from the world of business, industry and Habitat for Humanity India’s Women Build India members came together to spread awareness and support the families of farmers’ widows in Maharashtra.
“It is time to adopt a gender-sensitive approach to the problem of farmer suicides in Maharashtra that has reached unprecedented scale and proportions. Our Women Build India strives to help such women gain respect and dignity in their community. Today’s meeting was one such initiative to empower women to come forward and help more women in need,” said Sheila Kripalani, Chair, Women Build India, Habitat India and Managing Trustee of Grace International and Board Member of Terry Fox (India) Committee.
“We need to recognize that women form a key part of the rural economy and social ecosystem. Efforts need to be expedited to ensure their sustainable development and empowerment by providing them a strong social security net and long-term livelihood measures,” said Raell Padamsee, Managing Director and CEO, Ace Productions and Founder, Create Foundation.
“I am really happy to be here today. I’ve heard about Habitat’s Women Build India and today I am understanding the extent of good work of providing shelter for marginalised women in the country,” said Zeba Kohli, chocolatier, philanthropist and entrepreneur.

CSR: Can India achieve the SDGs?

India has significant distance to cover on almost all development fronts. Its ranking on global development indicators like the Human Development Index (HDI) and the SDG index hasn’t improved substantially in recent years. The country ranked 130 on the HDI in 2018, the same ranking as in 2014, and 112 on the SDG index in 2018, a two-point drop since the index was first published in 2016.
The extent of the issue is evident from the fact that India accounts for more than 20% of the absolute world performance gap in 10 of the 17 SDGs and more than 10% of the gap in another 6 of 17 SDGs (according to the Sustainable Development Solutions Network). Given India’s high contribution to the world performance gap, the country will play a critical role in the world’s ability to deliver on the SDGs by 2030.
The SDGs require sizable outlays, given the size of India’s population and the history of underfunding in social areas. Estimates suggest that India needs an average of approximately INR 26 lakh crore in annual funding to fulfil even five of the SDGs by 2030 (zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, and clean water and sanitation).
Even in the most optimistic scenario—in which India sustains its current economic growth rate and its current funding growth rate, all philanthropic capital is channelled towards the SDGs, there is no leakage in deployment, and the funding required to meet the SDGs doesn’t increase—the nation will still face an annual funding gap of around INR 4.2 lakh crore.
Depending on how each of these factors evolve, the actual shortfall could be two to four times that amount. Therefore, it is critical that public social sector expenditure (central and state), the mainstay of the total funding, increases substantially, says the India Philanthropy Report 2019 by Bain & Co.
At the same time, increased contributions from private philanthropy are needed to supplement public spending in two ways. First, private philanthropy can be a catalyst to increase government spending and cover the funding shortfall the nation is experiencing. Second, private philanthropy can help ensure timely and effective fund deployment, with greater accountability and monitoring.
With a growing economy and rising wealth, the role of domestic private philanthropy becomes increasingly important, regardless of how foreign contributions evolve. Both domestic corporations and Indian UHNIs need to enhance the level and nature of their giving.

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CSR: The Food Industry Trends of the Future

The global food industry is reaching a crossroad. It has been estimated that by 2050, the global population will reach up to 2 billion people. Countries around the world will have to find a way to produce more food than they have in the past 8,000 years to meet the increased demand for food.

World Bank has stated that climate change is becoming a source of significant additional risks for agriculture and food systems. On top of this, increasing water stress around the world is another challenge to agriculture. Growing awareness about the harmful effects of chemicals in food has led to consumers seeking more information about the source and the impact of the food they consume on their health as well as the environment.

Owing to all these facts, the food industry will see a lot of changes. Following are some of the trends that the food industry will see as predicted by food industry experts.

Increase in pressure for transparency

The people of the world are becoming more conscious about the impact caused by their food on their health as well as the environment. The way people buy their food—and who they buy it from—is changing rapidly. The rising demand for greater transparency around health and environmental metrics shows no signs of slowing down—and large companies must respond by taking greater steps to share more information with customers.

Soil degradation necessitates innovation on the farm

Experts across the globe say that around 70% of the world’s topsoils are depleted. More than 95 per cent of the food we eat depends on a mere 6 inches of topsoil. In 2015, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calculated that we’ll only have about 60 years of harvests left if soil degradation continues. With rising food demand, the pressure on innovating firms to find a solution to this problem.

Loss of farmland presents new challenges

Today, 55 per cent of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050, that proportion is expected to reach 68 per cent, according to the U.N. As more people move to cities and suburbs, former agricultural land is being developed at a startling pace.

Plant-based eating is on a roll

Veganism is an upcoming popular trend on social media including Instagram and YouTube. A huge number of influencers are posting content on the plant-based lifestyle, the philosophy and benefits to health and environment because of it. This trend is being picked up by several celebrities including Virat Kohli, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Aamir Khan, etc. These influential celebs have inspired many everyday joes to embrace veganism too.

The policy change is needed to keep family farming alive

The world’s farmer population is ageing quickly. The children of farmers aren’t willing to continue farming. The uncertainty in the profession is driving the young people away from it. In order to encourage more people to take up farming as a vocation, special policies will need to be in a place that would provide them with benefits for choosing the profession.

Food companies will demand changes in the distribution

As diners seek healthier, local and sustainable food choices, the industry will need to find new ways to get fresh food from local farmers to the brands and restaurants that want to buy it.

Rise of Simple Food

While the consumers today look for options in everything, in the food they are choosing the simplest food that is easy on the environment as well as their health. A shift from wanting quantity and global food to choosing quality local and simple food will soon be observed in the industry.

Thank you for reading the column until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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