Appetite for Action: Reducing food waste and carbon emissions in food services
The food service sector will not achieve carbon net zero targets without urgently addressing food waste.
At present, one-third of the world’s food goes to waste. This results in a contribution of 8-10% of global greenhouse gases, through the production, transportation and rotting of food.
Yet new research we have commissioned among 283 food focused supply chain heads and procurement decision makers shows that just 60% of organisations are making progress against the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals target of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030.
We convened an expert panel of policy makers, industry stakeholders including WRAP, WWF and the CBI, Sodexo customers, chefs, and academics for a recent roundtable discussion to develop strategies for reducing food waste and carbon emissions in food services.
In this report, we draw on expertise, insight and ideas shared during a roundtable, while addressing three key questions:
- How can rapid change in the food services sector be catalysed to tackle food waste?
- How can government create the policy and regulatory framework to better support this change?
- What needs to be done to educate the public on the impact of food waste on the climate, and their role in supporting its reduction?
Download the report to access the outcomes of the expert panel and our research study which informed the discussion and our recommendations for industry and government.