In 2019, the 74th United Nations General assembly designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. To mark this day, Sodexo has released its latest food waste reduction figures.
Sodexo UK and Ireland has today announced that over the last 12 months (September 2022 to August 2023), the business has again stepped up its WasteWatch programme to prevent food waste equivalent to 1,011,713 meals.
WasteWatch works by rapidly capturing food waste data and giving clear insights into what is being wasted and why. Teams can then bring in operational and behavioural changes to help end avoidable food waste, whether generated in the kitchen or by consumers.
Claire Atkins Morris, Sustainability Director at Sodexo UK and Ireland, said: “Tackling food waste is a key lever in our commitment to reach net zero by 2040. The progress demonstrated over the last year is encouraging and reinforces our confidence that we will achieve our goal of halving our food waste by 50% by 2025. As one of the world’s leading food service providers, we would encourage other businesses in the industry to commit to reducing food waste. Only together can we stop feeding the climate crisis.”
In 2021, Sodexo launched its Appetite for Action campaign with the aim of using the organisation’s scale and food industry expertise to convene and work alongside political and industry stakeholders, chefs, and customers to drive meaningful change in food service procurement to help cut food waste.