Compass Group Türkiye Calls for an End to Food Waste

Sofra / Compass Group Türkiye Calls for "Stop Food Waste" Sofra / Compass Group Türkiye has issued a call to "Stop Food Waste," urging everyone to prevent food waste through this initiative. Compass Group, among the world's leading food and support services providers, is working to prevent food waste. Through its "Stop Food Waste" initiative, the company encourages everyone in all countries where it operates, including Türkiye, to prevent food waste.

Leading the Sector in Preventing Food Waste Through "Stop Food Waste Day" Initiative

According to shared data, an average of 26 million food items are wasted annually in Türkiye. Globally, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year, with an average value of 1 trillion dollars. Compass Group is working to prevent this waste through its call. Compass Group PLC leads the industry in preventing food waste through its "Stop Food Waste Day" initiative, launched in 2017. Each year in the last week of April, the Group raises awareness on the issue and this year is working to create awareness among millions of people in many countries, including Türkiye, by emphasizing the importance of food waste.

One Third of Food Produced Globally is Wasted

According to data presented in the Food Waste Index Report, one third of food produced globally is wasted. Around 800 million people worldwide are struggling with hunger, and if one quarter of wasted food could be saved, 821 million hungry people could be fed. According to the Türkiye Food Waste Prevention Foundation's 2020 report, 260 million tonnes of food is wasted in Türkiye, with fruits and vegetables leading the list of wasted products. According to TÜBITAK research, the amount of wasted fruits and vegetables reaches 12 million tonnes annually. Besides fruits and vegetables, bread is another wasted food item. According to data, 12 million loaves of bread are wasted daily in Türkiye and 4.38 billion loaves annually.

Released Stop Food Waste Day Cookbook Digitally to Readers

To further increase global awareness, Compass Group has released the Stop Food Waste Day Cookbook, featuring recipes from 45 chefs across more than 30 countries, in digital format to readers. The cookbook contains recipes that can be made with materials most commonly wasted in kitchens, such as stale bread, overripe fruits and vegetables, and discarded peels. Aiming to prevent food waste, the cookbook also contains tips on how to adjust daily eating habits and how to best utilize purchased food. In this way, the cookbook aims to benefit both the environment and household budgets.

"We Are Focused on Raising Public Awareness on Preventing Food Waste"

Nihat Kartal, Chairman and CEO of Sofra/Compass Group Türkiye, commented on the growing problem of food waste each year. Kartal stated: "The data presented proves that we are facing a serious global problem. However, many studies show that people lack sufficient information about what they can do to prevent food waste and what individual measures they can take at workplaces and homes to contribute to solving the problem. As part of Compass Group, we are focused on raising public awareness about preventing food waste in cooperation with all our employees, suppliers and customers."  

"We Committed to Reducing Food Waste by 50% by 2030"

Kartal, also stating that they support efforts to change negative attitudes and behaviors in society, said: "In 2020, we committed to reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. To achieve this goal, we use food waste management technologies. Thanks to these technologies, a 28% reduction was achieved in the kitchens of Compass Group in 26 countries in 2021. This year on 27 April, we call millions of people to combat food waste, a global problem, by saying #StopFoodWaste. In our social media messages, we remind people how easy it actually is to do their part and show them methods they can easily apply. We hope this initiative will serve as an example to all institutions," Kartal said.