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Business Network

The GCNF Global Business Network engages companies large and small in the effort to strengthen their relationship with government-operated national school meal programs. By integrating social impact, transparency, good practices, and business returns, we facilitate public-private partnerships that are sustainable and high impact for all involved.

Why GCNF?

GCNF has deep international experience in school meal programs, engages with over 80 countries, and leads the Global Survey of School Meal Programs. We are objective brokers of partnerships by enabling cooperation, ensuring inclusive participation, aligning common goals, and establishing mutual accountability. We believe mutual respect creates environments in which sustainable partnerships can be built.

Membership offers year-round resource and collaboration platforms for businesses to:

Relationships
Data
Knowledge Sharing
Visibility

Tiered Membership Packages

The Global Business Network Offers year-round resource and collaboration platforms for businesses to:

  • Build relationships with country government officials and with other business leaders working on similar issues or locations;
  • Via the annual GCNForum, Global Survey, and other means, receive objective and comprehensive country-by-country information about school meal programs, supply chains, and potential market opportunities;
  • Participate in workshops and webinars that feature case studies, best practices, and the cultural and socio-economic implications of doing business within specific regions, especially in Africa and Asia;
  • Exhibit and present their  products and services to school feeding officials and partners at key GCNF events and other venues.
"I could spend 2 or 3 months traveling to 50 different countries around the world talking to different stakeholders about child nutrition, or I could come to the Global Child Nutrition Forum. It is an intense couple of days where you can have those same conversations and really get a sense of what is the landscape around school feeding and child nutrition all over the world."
Taylor Quinn
JUST, Inc.

Participation is offered at different tiers:

2022 Business Network Tiers

Strategy Consulting

1:1 Consulting Engagements – Members of the Global Business Network have access to one-on-one consulting by GCNF’s experts in food safety, local agriculture, supply chain dynamics, policy, and government relations in a developing country context. GCNF staff and consultants have worked with DuPont, Tetra Laval, Future Life (South Africa), By-Health (China), and others. This is a fee-for-service program. Engagement is tailored to the needs of the client.

International Research Trips – GCNF organizes high-level international study trips for governments and business leaders. These trips promote informal, face-to-face exchanges of knowledge, ideas, and experiences between policymakers, executives, academics, and opinion leaders in Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. This is also a fee-for-service program tailored to the client.

Strategic Sponsorship Opportunities

Global Business Network members receive visibility opportunities and exclusive positioning as sponsors of:

Global Survey of School Meal Programs – GCNF leads, in partnership with USDA and academic institutions, a standardized global survey of national school meal programs which gathers and compiles much-needed data on the scope and nutrition of programs from 150 countries

Global Child Nutrition Forum – Each year, GCNF gathers 300 leaders – government, nonprofit, and private-sector – from more than 50 countries for a week-long intensive sharing, learning, and relationship-building event focused on nutritious school meal programs

Awards Ceremony – Each year in Washington, DC, GCNF honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to ending childhood hunger around the world. The audience includes corporate executives, high-level US government officials, and nonprofit leaders

Seminar on School Meal Programs – An annual symposium in Washington, DC to discuss how the US and development partners can best support school meals around the world.

Private Sector Engagement Initiative – Sponsor GCNF’s strategy facilitation and trainings that help governments understand how to work with businesses to improve their school meal programs

Emerging Opportunities with GCNF – GCNF is interested in supporting food safety trainings for women; nutrition education initiatives; and providing advisory services for regional school feeding associations or networks

Current Members

For more information about the GCNF Global Business Network, please contact Heidi Kessler:
heidi@gcnf.org