Did you know, one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally? Food waste is central to some of the key challenges facing the world today, including hunger and poverty, climate change, health and well-being and the sustainability of agriculture and oceans. Wasting food is also a waste of the energy to grow, harvest, process and cook, and food waste in landfill can cause methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Source: World Food Programme
Our mission on Stop Food Waste Day (SFWD) is to ignite change regarding the global food waste issue. We do this by drawing attention to the problem while educating by engaging our guests with fun, interactive activities and sharing practical, creative, and impactful ways to change our behavior to minimize food waste.
SFWD is the largest single day of action in the fight against food waste.
Started in 2017 by Compass Group USA, SFWD is now recognized globally in every corner of the world as we unite to educate and ignite change.
This year to celebrate, we are engaging with guests at all of our cafe locations through participatory events that feature both our culinary and dietitian talent, as well as our great partners in an effort to share our commitment to reducing waste in the supply chain. Here are a few of those activities:
Low-Waste Station Takeover
Guests will arrive in the cafe to see a new pop-up station entirely dedicated to low-waste recipes from around the world. These recipes were developed by 45 Compass Group chefs across 30 countries who give a second life to ingredients that commonly go to waste in home kitchens, including stale bread, bruised produce and discarded peels. To help our guests replicate the recipes at home, we have assembled a digital cookbook to download and explore.
Teaching Kitchens
Our Teaching Kitchen sessions allow guests to explore food, culinary and nutritional literacy in an interactive environment. To ensure maximum participation, we will hold sessions at our on-site cafes, as well as virtually for those working in a hybrid environment. Led by Compass Group dietitians, these 15-20 minute sessions will focus on low-waste recipes, such as the pickled cauliflower, broccoli and pineapple salad that uses the commonly thrown away stems and cores of those ingredients. We will also feature recipes using leftovers to show guests how they can repurpose and reduce food waste at home. Our team of experts has created a video library of great recipes and chef instructions that can be accessed anytime, like this delicious Waste Not Shaker Salad.
Bring in Local Experts
Thanks in part to our extensive network of local partners, we will feature a variety of informational sessions with composters and food recovery specialists. During these sessions, guests will learn different techniques to reduce food waste in their homes, as well as how unused food can be redirected to support the community at large by helping those in need.
Leading the Fight Against Food Waste
Compass Group is proud to have created Stop Food Waste Day as an opportunity to drive awareness around the reduction of food waste at home, as well as work. Our journey has been spectacular and we are amazed at how well our message has been received.
In 2022, our message was shared globally across more than 60 countries, reaching millions of people. Reducing food waste, as well as educating our consumers and clients on how to do the same at home, is a big part of who we are and what we do. Compass Group is committed to reducing our food waste by 50% by 2030, and thanks to both our size and scale, we’re well on our way.
We invite you to join us this year by sharing your events on social media using #StopFoodWasteDay and @stopfoodwasteday. Connect with and follow us by clicking on these platforms:
Interested in learning about how we can help your company fight food waste? Let’s talk about it!
Compass Notes 