Sodexo unveils food waste reduction figures

Catering giant Sodexo has announced its latest food waste reduction figures to mark the UN’s International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction.

Sodexo UK & Ireland reported that between September 2022 to August 2023, it 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 foodservice 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.