Compass Group USA Announces a Landmark Commitment to Reduce Food Waste by 25% by 2020

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Compass Group USA announces a commitment to reduce 25% of its food waste by 2020 from a 2016 baseline. This commitment is made in an effort to combat the negative environmental, social, and financial effects of food waste. According to The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) an estimated 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten. In partnership with Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio and Unilever, Compass has launched a dynamic platform to raise awareness and promote food waste solutions.

On April 28, 2017, Compass Group cafés across the country will celebrate the first National Stop Food Waste Day as part of Earth Month showcasing:

• Imperfectly Delicious Produce (IDP) ? two million pounds of rescued produce nationwide
• Waste Not - an internal tracking tool to measure waste
• Save the Food marketing and root-to-stem recipes

"Compass says 'enough is enough.' We serve 9.4 million meals a day and are in a position to make some real change," says Amy Keister, VP of Consumer Engagement. "Let's take our national love affair with food and work together to find a solution to stop food waste!"

Building off Compass' Envision2020 strategy, the food waste reduction plan provides: training and tools to reduce surplus at the source, food recovery partnerships to donate excess to the community, and marketing materials to educate the public on ways to save at home.

For more information about Stop Food Waste Day, participating cafés, and scheduling coverage of events, visit www.stopfoodwasteday.com.

Compass Group:  Based in Charlotte, NC, Compass Group North America is the leading foodservice management and support services company with $16 billion in revenues in 2016. Its parent company, UK-based Compass Group PLC, was named one of 50 Companies Changing the World by Fortune. Learn more here.

Unilever Food Solutions: As the #1 food company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Unilever's commitment to sustainability spans decades and is proud to partner with Compass Group to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of out-of-home food consumption. Learn more here.

Tom Colicchio: Colicchio is a James Beard Award-winning chef, Host of Bravo's "Top Chef," Co-creator of the documentary, "A Place at the Table," and Co-founder of Food Policy Action. Learn more here. 

SOURCE Compass Group USA