Matriark Foods, an upcycled food company creating access to healthy food from excess produce, is introducing Matriark Vegetable Harvest Stew the world's first carbon neutral shelf-stable made with navy beans and vegetables sourced from farms in New York State, with Matriark's upcycled broth base. This national launch is the company's first foray into shelf-stable meal offerings.
Since the pandemic, there has been a 60% increase in meal purchases by food banks and food pantries in the US. With the introduction of Vegetable Harvest Stew, Matriark Foods continues to scale access to healthy food for the benefit of people and the environment. Creating new revenue streams for farmers, Matriark transforms farm surplus into healthy vegetable products while reducing the environmental impacts of wasted food. Matriark offers an alternative solution to otherwise unhealthy food options commonly found in food banks, homeless shelters and emergency food settings while allowing emergency food providers to leverage their purchasing power toward climate-friendly food.
The planet-friendly meal is being distributed by FeedMore WNY, one of the largest food banks in New York State delivering over 1.3 million meals per year. God's Love We Deliver, and Rethink Food, will also offer the product to their communities.
Sourced directly from Headwater Food Hub's roster of over 200 small and mid-scale farms in New York State, the product creates additional revenue for US farmers, while keeping the majority of the product's supply chain within a 150-mile radius. Matriark worked with Headwater to source over 50% of ingredients grown on farms in New York, making the product also eligible for the Nourish New York program, a lifeline for food banks in New York State. With this regional farm-sourcing approach, Matriark continues its commitment to supply chain and ingredient transparency as well as its support for regional American farmers.