Daniel Lubetzky, KIND Snacks Founder and Executive Chairman, joined Yahoo Finance Live to discuss the company's racial equality initiatives and the recently launched RD Connect.

Video Transcript

ADAM SHAPIRO: Daniel Lubetzky, he's been a guest before. He is, as you know, the founder and executive chairman of KIND Snacks. You're probably familiar with KIND bars. It's good to have you here, Daniel. And wanted to let people know--

DANIEL LUBETZKY: It's a pleasure. Thank you for having me.

ADAM SHAPIRO: --that-- it's good to have you. That the KIND Foundation is stepping up to the plate with $100,000 toward racial justice organizations, but much more. There are many different things that you're up to. So why don't you let us know where you're headed?

DANIEL LUBETZKY: Sure. Well, the most important is that we're trying to use this opportunity to learn because we consider ourselves a company that's ahead of these issues and that we really care about empathy and respect for all people, regardless of their backgrounds, religious thoughts, beliefs. And when we did an audit, we found out in our packaging, for example, we have a packaging for KIND kids that will have all white kids. We hadn't thought about that. So we redressed that so we could have a little bit more diversity in that packaging.

In our hiring practices, we realized that we did not actively recruit team members from historically Black universities and colleges. So we addressed that with up to two historically Black universities, where we're providing $100,000 worth of scholarships and opportunities for training and onboarding students.

And I think what you were referring earlier to is a program that we're very proud of. As part of the Snack and Give Back Program, four times a year, we put a spotlight on groups that deserve more kindness and more attention, haven't gotten the share of that. And, you know, historically, Black, people of color, indigenous communities do not have as many healthy options. So we're donating a million bars through our partnership with the National Collaborative for Health Equity to people of color. And we're also donating $100,000 to the racial justice organizations like NAACP and others.

And but more than anything, we're just going across the board and trying to be introspective and try to not just check the box, but thoughtfully find a way to engage constructively in this conversation.

SEANA SMITH: Dan, you've also launched KIND RD Connect. And we talk about the fact that many Americans are delaying their medical care because of COVID-19 concerns. What are you hoping to address with this new initiative? And where do you see, I guess, that growing once we get beyond the pandemic?

DANIEL LUBETZKY: Yes, you brought up 41% of Americans have delayed their care. And this is very serious. And also, there's a huge correlation between our living habits, how we eat, whether we're getting sleep, whether we're getting exercise, whether we're smoking, whether we're obese, there's a huge correlationship with outcomes for COVID. So we really want to encourage people to take care of themselves.

For me, I've gained a few pounds over the last year because I'm a little bit more sedentary. So I need to try to take care of myself. But we are making available 3,000 free consultations with registered dietitians through RD Connect, our partnership. We have over 5,000 partners in the RD community. We're very proud of it, and we partnered with them to make available for people that register on our website free 3,000 consultations. And beyond that, we want to continue working with registered dietitians to try to provide solutions and healthy eating habits for the community.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Daniel, very quickly, why did you do this? You did this on your own initiative. And we see companies do this after they get targeted. But you did it ahead of that. Why?

DANIEL LUBETZKY: The RD Initiative, or the Racial Justice Initiative, or the [INAUDIBLE].

ADAM SHAPIRO: Both. Both. They're both important to you and KIND.

DANIEL LUBETZKY: Yeah, I mean, I think we want to be respectful of what we're listening to and what we're learning from. But we also want to just look into ourselves and think, what gives meaning to us? And we founded the company from the first moment to do the kind thing for your body, your taste buds, and your world. And for us, that means for your body by fostering traditional dense eating and people and habits.

And so, we've always made healthy products, where 100% of what we make leads with nutrient dense ingredients. And we're trying to work with institution community and policymakers to try to advance those goals. KIND [INAUDIBLE] just has to be delicious. And then, KIND to world for us has always been about fostering empathy and kindness. And, you know, why is that? I think it has to do with my background.

I was born in Mexico to a father who was a Holocaust survivor, who went through a concentration camp. And I was raised in Mexico to build bridges. And so, having witnessed what's happened to our country over the last several years, and in particular, the last several months, I'm very concerned about the growing polarization and how we, all of us, whether we come from the center, left, or right, are a little bit too quick to judge.

And all of these bad practices form social media, we're carrying them on offline into our daily lives and just being a little bit less forgiving, a little bit more judgmental, a little bit less empathetic, less critical thinkers. And we want to encourage all of us to recognize that what's made this country the most amazing country in the world is that social fabric of respect and that we have a lot more in common than we realize, that we need to remind ourselves what are those values that make us such a special country, and then safeguard those values.