Starbucks announces plan to donate leftover food to food banks

Starbucks recently made an announcement that will focus on donating all of its leftover unsold food from its 7,000-plus U.S. locations to the nation's food banks.

100 percent of its leftover food is planned to be donated to Feeding America, a non-profit organization that manages a national network of food banks.

According to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, the idea to donate the leftover food originally came from employees and baristas behind the counter.

Starbucks said it has invested in research to determine the best way to ensure the food stays safe until it is consumed, and that the aim is to dole out around 5 million meals in 2016.

Feeding America serves more than 46 million people through its food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, according to its website.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stated in an estimation that 30 to 40-percent of America's food supply is wasted.

According to Feeding America, 48.1 million Americans struggled against hunger at one time or another in 2014.