Eurest Combats Food Waste, Impacting Each Tier of EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy
As difference makers in the contracted foodservice industry, the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy serves as a fundamental tool in helping us achieve Compass Group’s goal of collectively reducing food waste by 50% by 2030 in alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goal. Eurest operations have implemented a variety of avenues, including community partnerships and innovative solutions, representative of each tier of the Food Recovery Hierarchy. Driven by our wellness and sustainability platform, Food with Purpose, Eurest is working across its more than 1700 locations to positively impact this goal while providing exceptional dining experiences that promote socially and environmentally sustainable practices.
Learn more about some of the many ways we’re using the Food Recovery Hierarchy to reduce food waste:
Source Reduction
Source reduction is the act of minimizing waste before it’s even created. This is Eurest’s primary focus area for creating a more sustainable environment. Waste Not 2.0 is a key player in making this happen. This game changing food waste tracking tool serves as our proprietary, tablet-based, waste-tracking program designed to change behavior with real-time tracking and dashboard reporting. Waste Not 2.0’s easy-to-use interface creates a positive impact by focusing on avoidable waste-reduction opportunities that go beyond trim, bones, cores, and peels.
Feed Hungry People
Giving back to those in need is another priority area for Eurest. We partner with food recovery and non-profit organizations to safely recover prepared food and donate fresh, nutritious meals to neighboring organizations. One client makes it their sole mission to feed those in need with commissary production food waste. By collecting overproduced items each week, we have been able to help our client deliver over 2,000 meals to local non-profits in 2022 alone.
Feed Animals
The animals are important too! We’re proud to partner with local livestock farms to feed our food scraps to support local farmers who help us recover what otherwise would be wasted. One major client located in New England recently implemented a new partnership with a local farm as a sustainable response to discarding leftover produce and grains. Food scraps are collected each Friday after service and fed to the farm’s animals who eat every bite.
Industrial Uses
We work to recycle our used cooking oil where available and use food waste biodigesters to grind up food scraps that can be converted into sustainable, renewable energy. Several clients use ORCA technology to turn your food waste into an environmentally safe liquid that goes down the drain and is disposed of using the existing sanitary sewer infrastructure. Talk about innovative!
Composting
Over the years, composting food waste has become one of the primary ways that we’re able to promote a healthy, sustainable environment. At one major technology corporation client site, Eurest is able to collaborate with the only compost facility in the area to remove food waste. The client uses PLA compostable paper goods that can be mixed with other food scraps which are used as soil within the community garden.
Landfill/Incineration
Using the strategic management initiatives outlined above, Eurest is able to significantly reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills and incineration centers.
Our wellness and sustainability methods inspired by the Food Recovery Hierarchy are built into everything we do and stand for, creating a workplace that creates positive change for the health and wellbeing of people and the planet.
Learn more about our wellness and sustainability platform, Food with Purpose.