Compass Group North America celebrated 8th annual Stop Food Waste Day

Compass Group, a leading foodservice and support services company, celebrated the eighth annual Stop Food Waste Day by raising awareness of the issue and inspiring action – from partnering with FoodTank to host the inaugural Waste Warrior awards in New York City to Teaching Kitchens and chef stations featuring no-waste recipes at schools, corporate cafes and other venues across the country.

“Stop Food Waste Day celebrates our commitment to reducing food waste across our operations and empowering not only our own teams, but entire communities to join us in this mission,” Amy Keister, global director of sustainability, Compass Group, said in the announcement. “Through Stop Food Waste Day events and activities, we are not only partnering with Food Tank to present the inaugural Food Waste Warrior awards in New York City, but inspiring and educating individuals to adopt small changes in their food purchasing and prep habits that can make a big difference in reducing food waste and protecting the environment.

“We believe that everyone can make a difference in the fight against food waste and hunger. By joining forces with Food Tank and other like-minded organizations, we hope to create a ripple effect of positive change that will benefit our planet, our communities, and our future.”

Several food waste champions were honored for their impact and innovation at the inaugural Food Waste Warrior Awards in New York City. As part of this Stop Food Waste Day celebration, Compass Group and Food Tank convened organizations including NY Common Pantry, Restaurant Associates, LES Ecology Center, Acre, the Green Bronx Machine, ReFed, and Wheyward Spirits.

In addition to the New York event, Stop Food Waste Day activities and events across the country included:

Bon Appétit Management Company hosted “From Trash To Treasure,” a nationwide digital event at hundreds of locations designed to inspire guests to engage in easy (but creative) everyday activities that prevent food waste. From a how-to about growing vegetables from scraps to handy tips to reduce kitchen waste – including a guide to “Incredibly Edible Stems” and delectable recipes that utilize commonly discarded vegetable parts – guests will learn to bring the waste-fighting principles used by Bon Appétit every day to their home kitchens. Several locations are also conducting “Weigh the Waste” events to increase guest awareness about plate waste while others are showcasing their best waste-preventing recipes. Still others are encouraging guests to think about the dual impact of food waste and single-use disposables by building to-go box “towers” for striking visual impact.

April is “Be a Waste Warrior” month in school cafeterias across the country as part of Chartwells K12’s Discovery Kitchennutrition education program. Chefs and dietitians have organized activities for students to taste recipes that feature plant-based ingredients and use the whole plant, including a root-to-stem Broccoli Slaw and a Nut-Free Vegetable Pesto, as well as learn tips on reducing food waste and how they can be mindful of protecting the environment.

The Chartwells Higher Education team at Carnegie Mellon University is hosting a series of week-long activities to educate and spread awareness around Stop Food Waste Day. Hundreds of students are expected to participate in scheduled events, including:  a campus-wide Farmers Market featuring local farms that aims to connect students with their food sources, an opportunity for students to create their own seed bombs, which are designed to help spread native plants and pollinators in urban landscapes, a food drive for the campus pantry at which students can exchange three canned goods for a complimentary meal, and a Teaching Kitchen where students can learn hands-on how to cook low-carbon meals.

The teams at Eurest are celebrating Stop Food Waste Day in a variety of creative ways at corporations across the U.S. Notably, chefs and culinary teams at TIAA are hosting a full week of events including a Spring Farmers Market with local produce and a chef’s table highlighting recipes with low-waste ingredients.  The on-site coffee shop is keeping old coffee grounds from going to waste by composting them and giving the enriched soil to TIAA employees through the innovative “Grounds for Gardens” program.  At Bank of America corporate cafés, chefs will have a friendly competition where they will feature their own recipes highlighting low food waste ingredients and diners will vote for their favorites. Other Eurest locations will feature teaching kitchens, chef competitions, shoppable recipes, and a Stop Food Waste Day cookbook promotion.

The Morrison Healthcare team at the Mount Sinai Health System joined New York City Mayor Eric Adams and his Office of Food Policy in the Plant-Powered Carbon Challenge. The Challenge aims to reduce food-related carbon emissions by 25% by 2030. The Morrison team has committed to focusing on plant-forward food procurement to achieve this goal, which will also support continued innovation and creation of delicious, nutritious food that support healthy patients, caregivers, guests and a healthy planet.  In addition, Morrison Healthcare also created a Teaching Kitchen video to inspire individuals to upcycle common pantry items such as oats, rice, beans, canned products, and more to transform ingredients that may have been wasted or forgotten into something of even greater value.

Corporate cafés throughout the Northeast will feature creative and delicious Stop Food Waste Day recipes made by Restaurant Associates. 

The chefs at Wolfgang Puck Catering are using Stop Food Waste Day this year to showcase creative, low-waste vegetable recipes including roasted Nantes carrots with spring chimichurri, crunchy veggie strips, and “fridge & pantry” vegetable bean soup.  Other chefs are using excess ingredients on hand to whip up some delectable treats including “Panini Bread” Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce and “Spent Coffee” Chocolate Cupcakes.

With 40% of food supply wasted – going into landfills, rotting and producing methane, a greenhouse gas potent than carbon dioxide – Compass Group also invites everyone to join the Stop Food Waste Day movement by visiting the website www.stopfoodwasteday.com, where they can find tips, tools, and recipes to help reduce food waste. The website also features an updated Stop Food Waste Day Cookbook, a collection of delicious and easy recipes from Compass Group’s global chefs that use ingredients that are often wasted or overlooked.