Sharebite has donated 18 million meals. Its CEO wants US employers to copy Brazil

Dilip Rao, CEO of Sharebite, emphasized the importance of addressing hunger in the United States during the 2026 midterm campaign. He noted that nearly 150 million Americans, nearly half the population, are struggling with food insecurity, far exceeding the official count of 47.9 million people. Rao cited soaring inflation and rising food prices as contributing factors to this growing issue.

Sharebite, a New York-based employee meal-benefits platform founded in 2015, has donated over 18 million meals through its program that matches every meal ordered by employees with a donated meal to nonprofit partners like Feeding America and City Harvest. Rao believes that companies should view hunger as an economic problem and an opportunity to help solve it through employee meal benefits.

Brazil's Workers' Food Program, established in 1976, serves as a prime example for the U.S. to follow. The program, which offers tax incentives to companies that provide meal benefits to employees, now reaches approximately 22 million workers. Rao argues that incorporating food into employer benefits, alongside healthcare and retirement, could improve worker productivity and stimulate small-business activity.

Rao emphasized that the business case for implementing meal benefits rests on the significant costs associated with healthcare spending and lost productivity due to poor diets and food insecurity, which surpass $1.1 trillion annually. Lunch has also emerged as a key factor in the return-to-office trend, with Owl Labs surveying workers who would return to the office if employers covered commuting, childcare, and lunch expenses.

Rao's small team has seen a surge in demand, with the company's business growing more than 30 times in the past four years. He believes the market for employee meal benefits is still in its early stages and has significant room for growth.