The Coalition to Close the Protein Gap
A first-of-its-kind public-private coalition uniting government, agriculture, industry, and hunger relief organizations to permanently close America’s charitable protein gap.
The Coalitionto Close theProtein Gap
A first-of-its-kind public-private coalition uniting government, agriculture, industry, and hunger relief organizations to permanently close America’s charitable protein gap.
Coalition Impact
The protein gap in America’s charitable food system is not a scarcity problem — it is a logistics/infrastructure problem. These numbers illustrate both the scale of the challenge and the infrastructure the Coalition is putting in place to address it.
~800M lbs
The annual protein gap in America’s charitable food system
14%
Protein’s share of charitable food distribution, despite being the #1 most requested item
$40M
The Coalition’s public-private investment to close the gap
102M+
Protein-rich meals delivered by HATCH in 2025
120+/ 30,000+/ 43
Food banks / pantries served / states reached
3 billion
The number of annual protein-rich meals the Coalition is working toward
$1→ $1.30
Every federal dollar generates $1.30 in private matching capital
Self-sustaining
Model requires no ongoing federal support
Source note: Based on 2025 data from HATCH and USDA. Coalition targets reflect multi-year projections (by 2028).
America Has Enough Protein, But Millions of Families Still Go Without.
Every year, an estimated 800-million-pounds of protein never reach families experiencing food insecurity. Protein is the most requested food at food banks — yet it accounts for only 14% of what is distributed through the charitable food system.
The issue isn’t supply. America’s farmers and protein producers already raise enough food to feed every family in need. The challenge is moving it efficiently from the producer to the food bank to the family table.
That’s why the Coalition to Close the Protein Gap exists.
One Mission. One Solution.
The Coalition to Close the Protein Gap is a $40 million public-private initiative that brings together leaders across government, agriculture, industry, philanthropy, and hunger relief to build a stronger, more efficient charitable food system.
Together, Coalition partners are investing in the infrastructure, partnerships, and supply chain needed to permanently close the protein gap and improve access to nutritious protein for families across America.
Our goal: deliver 3 billion protein-rich meals a year and close the charitable protein gap for good.
Leveraging an implementation model with 10 years of proof behind it, this initiative will scale an infrastructure-based solution to the national protein crisis. This is more than an episodic hunger relief effort – it’s a permanent systemic solution.
A Public-Private Partnership Unlike Any Before
The Coalition brings together partners from across sectors — each contributing supply, funding, infrastructure, or operational expertise to close the protein gap.
Government Partners
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide federal coordination and public health alignment.
Producers & Industry
America's leading protein producers and industry allies, including Cargill, Case Farms, Elanco, Hilmar Cheese, Koch Foods, Mountaire Farms, MPS Egg Farms, Perdue Farms, Rose Acre Farms, Simmons Foods, Tyson Foods, and Wayne-Sanderson Farms, are committing product, funding, and supply chain support.
Checkoff & Trade Organizations
The American Egg Board, National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Chicken Council, National Milk Producers Federation, National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, and National Turkey Federation provide cross-sector coordination, helping bolster producer engagement and ensuring industry-wide participation.
Hunger Advocates
Tony Robbins, Jeff Simmons (CEO of Elanco and HATCH Board Chairman), Sergey Brin, and Sharon Ginsburg are among the philanthropic leaders supporting the Coalition.
Logistics and Infrastructure
HATCH serves as the Coalition's implementation and operational partner, managing the nationwide infrastructure that moves protein from producers to food banks.
From Producer to Family
America already produces enough protein to close the gap. The barrier is logistics — getting perishable protein from producers to food banks quickly, affordably, and at scale. The Coalition is building the infrastructure to overcome that barrier, removing the complexity and added expense that limits the charitable food system’s protein capacity today.
That means investing across every link in the supply chain:
Production partnerships
sourcing protein directly from U.S. farmers and producers at cost-plus pricing
Cold storage
expanding refrigerated warehousing capacity to handle perishable protein at scale
Transportation
building reliable logistics networks to move protein from production facilities to food banks
Pantry-ready packaging
repackaging bulk protein into family-sized portions suitable for food bank distribution
National coordination
aligning supply, demand, and logistics across 43 states and 120+ food banks
Because the investment is in permanent infrastructure and not one-time donations — the system scales with demand and enables consistent access to protein – permanently.
The Coalition's Operational Partner
HATCH serves as the Coalition’s implementation partner — the organization responsible for managing the nationwide movement of protein from producers to food banks.
For more than a decade, HATCH has built and operated the country’s only end-to-end charitable protein supply chain. HATCH sources protein directly from American producers, coordinates cold-chain logistics, and delivers nutritious protein to food banks and pantries across the country.
HATCH operates a self-sustaining, market-based model that does not rely on ongoing donations or federal support. The system is designed for permanence.
Key Facts About HATCH
102+ million
protein-rich meals delivered in 2025
30,000+
pantries reached
10+ years
of operations
$70 million
saved annually by families through cost-free protein access
120+
food banks served
43 states
$0.01
G&A cost per meal
20% growth
over the past three years
Why This Coalition Matters
"Millions of American families are going without the protein they need, and our farmers are already raising it. The protein gap shouldn't exist. The Coalition to Close the Protein Gap is building a permanent solution."
— Tony Robbins, hunger advocate
"A decade of operations taught us one thing: supply alone doesn't close the gap, and infrastructure alone doesn't close the gap. They must move together. The supply exists, and HATCH consistently and reliably gets it where it needs to go."
— Daniel Leckie, CEO of HATCH
"This is a monumental moment to create lasting change that will impact Americans for generations. It's the most meaningful alignment between government, agriculture, and the hunger community I have seen in my career."
— Jeff Simmons, CEO of Elanco Animal Health and HATCH Board Chairman
Closing the Protein Gap Takes All of Us.
Lasting change happens when public agencies, private industry, nonprofits, and agriculture work together toward one measurable goal.
The Coalition to Close the Protein Gap represents a new model for how America addresses hunger — not through short-term programs, but through permanent infrastructure that ensures nutritious protein reaches every community that needs it.
This is just the beginning. Every new partner makes the system stronger.