As leaders of a women-owned, values-driven company, we have the responsibility to do more than simply be heartbroken. To do more than post support of the movement on our social media channels. To do more than disagree with the structural racism that resulted in the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many other members of the Black community – and allowed countless other atrocities and injustices – to happen again and again and again.

We recognize the role that our inaction has played in letting it come to this.

We know we are just one small company. But it will take concerted actions from all of us – individuals, small and large businesses and organizations, governments and more – to make the progress our society so desperately needs.

Eat Well Global has been a Certified B Corporation since 2018 because we wholeheartedly believe in using business as a source for good. Our mission to empower global change agents in food and nutrition is rooted in the desire to drive impact and improve health and wellbeing around the world. We’ve had our eyes on topics like global health and sustainable diets, but on the issue of racism, we simply haven’t shown up. We’ve had the privilege to not prioritize it. The sad irony is that sustainable, resilient food and healthcare systems cannot co-exist with structural racism.

We need to do better.

We will do better.

We don’t have all the answers today, but here is where we’re starting:

  1. SUPPORTING DIVERSITY IN NUTRITION & DIETETICS

Only 2.6% of dietitians in the United States are Black and there are notable barriers to entry and acceptance in this professional field. That’s why we’re channeling our donation dollars to Diversify Dietetics, an organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the field of nutrition by empowering students and young professionals from underrepresented minority groups to not only join the next generation of nutrition experts but remain and thrive in the field.

  1. AMPLIFYING DIVERSE VOICES

We have not done enough to seek out voices of color in the speakers or influencers we work with. Representation matters and we see more clearly the impact of the role we can play here. We are revamping our processes to ensure that we identify and consider candidates from underrepresented minority groups each and every time we propose, recommend or hire speakers and stakeholders in our work. When we feature nutrition leaders on our social media channels, we will ensure diverse voices are represented here as well. And when we are invited to speak on panels, seminars and webinars organized by other groups, we will challenge them on their speaker diversity plans.

  1. RECRUITMENT

We are developing new procedures to reach more racially and ethnically diverse applicant pools when we recruit for new positions. It’s not enough to just wish we had more diversity among interested candidates. We need to move from intention to action. Moving forward, we will actively recruit through the channels where underrepresented minority candidates are seeking employment and internship opportunities.

  1. SUPPLIER SELECTION

Our current supplier diversity policy encourages the use of vendors that are locally owned, women or minority-owned, or fellow B Corps. But “encouraging” the use of these vendors isn’t enough. That’s why we are strengthening this policy to require the inclusion of these vendors in our selection process for both our own needs as well as those of our clients when purchasing on their behalf. In addition, we pledge to work with the B Corp community to facilitate the identification of diverse suppliers within the network.

  1. POLICY SUPPORT

We commit time to exploring where we can be most effective in supporting policies that support social justice, particularly related to our profession and the food system – locally, nationally and globally. We will connect with those in our network who are most well-informed to help guide us in this process. We will keep you updated on our journey.

  1. CONTINUOUS LEARNING

We personally have a lot of listening, reflecting, learning and unlearning to do and like many others, we have spent the past weeks digging into the myriad books, articles and podcasts on systemic racism and anti-racism. We are committed to taking this journey alongside our team by providing resources and supporting group discussions, explorations and trainings so that we can all become more informed, empathetic and empowered to take on racial injustices.

This is just the beginning. We’re in this for the long haul. We welcome new ideas or collaborations for doing more. Please contact us if you have questions or suggestions. We know we won’t be perfect, but we promise we won’t stop moving forward.

 

With humble gratitude,