Inside a Charlotte team’s Efforts to Reduce Food Waste and Feed the Community
Reducing food waste starts with the choices we make every day. An estimated 33% of all food produced globally goes to waste each year. Stop Food Waste Day, started by Compass Group USA 10 years ago, is now the largest international day of action focused on reducing food waste in ways both big and small.
Inside the 24 Hundred Marketplace at Compass Group’s North America headquarters in Charlotte, Director of Operations Chef Tom Matterface and Front of House Manager Alex Monteiro show how that responsibility is carried out day to day, both in operations and through community partnerships.
“Food should go to people, not the landfill,” shared Alex.
Through a partnership with Feeding Charlotte, surplus meals are picked up and delivered the same day to organizations across the city, supporting people from after-school youth programs to older adults in need of assistance.
The team also works with Crown Town Compost, turning food scraps into soil used in parks and city projects. “Next time you’re at a park and see a beautiful garden, it may have been some of our compost,” said Alex.
Chef Tom and Alex are being recognized as Food with Purpose Change Makers for their leadership in reducing food waste and supporting the Charlotte community.
“It’s really important to make sure everyone is involved in this,” said Chef Tom. “It takes everybody to reduce food waste.”