In 2020, the CCOF Foundation was one of the first nonprofits to receive a grant from Seth Goldmanu2019s new snack company, Eat the Change. Eat the Change Impact (ETC Impact) is the charitable arm of the company. The CCOF Foundation was chosen as a grant recipient because of our research project, the Roadmap to an Organic California, which laid out the scientific benefits of organic agriculture and opportunities for California to implement organic to address our community, economic, and environmental health needs. The CCOF Foundation was grateful to join the other ETC Impact grantees to move forward our goal of transitioning 30 percent of Californiau2019s farmland to organic by 2030. At present, Californiau2019s organic land sits just above 10 percent, far above the national average of 3.5 percent. We believe this makes California well-positioned to lead the country in expanding organic even further.
In a recent LinkedIn announcement about the grants, Goldmanu2019s wife and co-founder of Eat the Change, Julie Farkas, comments, u201cThese organizations stood out for their authenticity and ability to inspire others through making planet-friendly, healthy food accessible to everyone regardless of race, geography, and income.u201d Goldman adds to Farkasu2019 comments: u201cWe were thrilled to receive so many inspiring applications in our first year. The pandemic has highlighted the stark disparities in health outcomes that exist in our society, and there has never been a more important time to invest in community-based partners working to address those gaps.u201d
In 2021, Eat the Change Impact, through a partnership with Flora Plant Butter, will continue to expand funding to community organizations and nonprofits that are democratizing food access across the world.
Co-founder and former CEO of Honest Tea, Goldman is now the executive chairman of Beyond Meat and founder of Eat the Change. Eat the Change Impact combines marketplace solutions with activism, empowering consumers to educate themselves on the impacts their food choices make on the planet.