Sodexo chef

One of the world’s largest foodservice companies Sodexo is aiming to set up a new data-driven food waste prevention programme at 3,000 of its sites worldwide within a year.

In line with its goal to halve food waste and food losses from its operations by 2025, the company is looking to deploy the system, called 'WasteWatch powered by Leanpath',at all relevant Sodexo sites by that year.

Using the programme, Sodexo caterers can quickly and easily capture food waste data, giving them a clear insightinto what is being wasted in their kitchens and why.

The idea is that with this new understanding teams can implement targeted operational and behavioural changes to help cut out avoidable food waste, whether it is generated in the kitchen or by the consumer.

“We must track how much food is discarded at each and every one of our foodservice sites, and we are committed to making these figures public to bring a sense of urgency and motivate us to always do better,” said chief executive Denis Machuel.

“Beyond data, the programme is a revolutionary approach to food services. Our chefs, supply experts, site managers and frontline teams are trained and encouraged to think creatively and innovate in the way we plan, use and serve food to reduce avoidable waste.”

Sodexo claims the WasteWatch programme can prevent 50 per cent of food at each site from being wasted, and the planned deployment of the technology at 3,000 sites represents the largest initiative of its kind in the restaurant and foodservice sector.

Approximately a third of food produced for human consumption is wasted globally, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, while some 842 million people suffer from hunger around the world.