Compass Group Leads Fight Against Food Waste: Stop Food Waste Day 2019
April 24th marks “Stop Food Waste Day” – 3rd annual international day of action
Charlotte, N.C. (April 10, 2019) – Compass Group, the world’s largest foodservice company, together with some of the most influential companies, and celebrity chefs, is rallying millions of consumers to accelerate the fight against food waste with Stop Food Waste Day™. The White House has further elevated this effort, by acknowledging the month of April as Winning on Reducing Food Waste Month, supported by a historic interagency agreement between Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). “The future of food depends on action from us now, which is why we have established this formal partnership among USDA, EPA and FDA,” says US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue.
Globally, millions of zero-food-waste meals will be served on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 throughout Compass cafés in hospitals, schools, arenas, corporations, museums and senior living communities. Chefs, including celebrity and humanitarian José Andrés, will encourage people to take the pledge to make every day Stop Food Waste Day, lead live cooking demonstrations, host zero-waste dinners and educate the public on ways to reduce food waste, inspiring reduction in both professional and home kitchens.
“As a chef, every bit of food wasted represents a meal that we didn’t serve to someone in need. Wasted food is a wasted opportunity, as well as the land, water, energy and love that goes into growing and distributing our food,” says Andrés, a nominee for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.
Compass Group’s network of global partners–which includes Google and HSBC—universities and hospitals like Carnegie Mellon and Jersey Shore Medical, plus industry influencers like Andrés, Tom Colicchio and Danny Meyer, among others, will help mobilize the movement to drive results. “Chefs are positioned to change the food system,” says Tristram Stuart, an expert on the environmental and social impact of food. “Compass Group is giving them the power to be culture leaders, recognizing they are the number one asset we have to turn this crisis around.” Compass Group and Toast Ale, founded by Stuart, will host a major food waste awareness event this fall to demonstrate how easy, delicious and fun it is to serve the masses meals and drinks made with ingredients that routinely go to waste.
Last year, Stop Food Waste Day went global with support from Compass Group NA’s parent company, Compass Group PLC, headquartered in the UK, uniting 34 countries and 12 million people behind the company’s mission to create a positive impact for people, planet and the food system.
On track to meet its goal of reducing waste 25% by 2020, Compass Group has announced a long-term goal to reduce food waste 50% by 2030, joining the US Food Loss and Waste 2030 group and aligning with the United Nation’s waste-reduction agenda. Compass NA invests in training, digital platforms and innovative systems to uncover opportunities to reduce waste throughout the lifecycle of food – from harvesting and producing to purchasing and portioning.
“Our goal is to raise awareness of the massive food waste issue and provide solutions to reduce it,” says Amy Keister, Compass Group SVP of Sustainability. “With our reach, our partners and human nature to do the right thing, we can dramatically reduce food waste and create positive impact in the global food system,” says CEO Dominic Blakemore, Compass Group PLC.
How To Get Involved
For a full list of celebrity chefs, restaurant partners and cities honoring Stop Food Waste Day, visit stopfoodwasteday.com. To schedule interviews, cooking demonstrations, or to request low-waste recipes contact Communications Manager, Jessica Rainbolt.
Contact:
Jessica Rainbolt, [email protected], (860) 995-7351
Communications Manager, Envision Group, Compass Group