Introducing our Newly Updated Food Waste Commitments for 2024
We’re no strangers to fighting food waste at Bon Appétit Management Company – we’ve been finding ways to keep food out of landfills since we opened our doors. How? We cook food from scratch, in small batches. We set up our cafe environments in ways that encourage mindful choices, like limiting the use of trays or offering tasting spoons so guests can try food before committing to it. And we partner with food recovery organizations to rescue food that would otherwise be thrown away and get it to hungry people.
However, our most exciting step toward fighting food waste in our kitchens was the creation of Waste Not™ in 2021, our proprietary waste tracking system created by chefs, for chefs. The app captures real-time information about the quantity, cause, and destination of food waste conveniently, without using a scale – and in as little as 15 seconds. And since its release, it is now in thousands of kitchens worldwide through our parent company, Compass Group – something we’re very proud of.
Now we are excited to introduce our newly upgraded companywide waste commitments, which will help us meet our broader goal of reducing food loss and waste nationally by 50% by 2030, which we first pledged to work toward in 2016.
Our first companywide commitment is that all accounts are tasked with tracking food waste.
Tracking food waste has always been one of the many options for waste reduction in our kitchen, but now it is our focus. By the end of 2024, we are committing that at least 90% of our kitchens will be tracking food waste with Waste Not™. We believe that knowledge is power, and tracking our food loss and waste will allow us to make the important decisions necessary to prevent food waste at its source.
Our second companywide commitment is that all accounts will be regularly donating food, with a goal that 80% of those accounts donating will be Food Recovery Verified.
Our partnerships with food recovery organizations across the country are some of our best tools for stemming food waste, while also addressing food insecurity. Since 2013, we’ve been a proud partner of the Food Recovery Network (FRN), a student-led organization working to recover food from colleges and universities to address hunger in their communities. We were a founding partner of FRN’s Food Recovery Verification program, which provides technical assistance and support to food businesses who are on the journey to reduce their waste. We’ll look to this program to help our accounts get verified, so that more of us can lead by example.
Our final commitment is for all accounts to engage in one waste awareness campaign per year.
We believe that education and engagement are key strategies for raising awareness about food waste. From Stop Food Waste Day, Weigh the Waste events, to engaging experiences around composting and upcycling, we use our platform to inform and educate our guests about their food choices and the impact of food waste. Because of this, we commit to at least one food loss and waste campaign per year to bring attention to this pressing issue.
Our new, simplified three-pronged approach to waste management will shape our current and future work in preventing, reducing, and effectively managing food waste in thousands of our kitchens nationwide, embodying our commitment to being the continued leader of foodservice for a sustainable future.