The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the trade association that advocates for every segment of the hotel industry, has become the latest trade association to join the U.S. Food Waste Pact, a joint initiative led by ReFED and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to reduce food waste across the food system.
AHLA joins 29 other food businesses and organizations signing onto the Pact’s voluntary agreement, which utilizes the “Target, Measure, Act” framework to facilitate industry collaboration and action to reduce food waste across the food system.
According to ReFED, 29 percent of food produced in the United States goes uneaten or unsold, with the vast majority becoming waste that gets sent to destinations like landfills, incinerators and sewer systems.
The foodservice sector accounts for 12.5 million tons of this surplus food, with the surplus from the lodging subsector making up nearly 10 percent. In lodging alone, that amount of food is equivalent to two billion meals and valued at $17 billion—giving hospitality companies the opportunity to save food and money through waste reduction efforts.
“The U.S. Food Waste Pact’s mission is critical to reducing food waste and supporting communities across this country who face food insecurity. Reducing food waste is an important part of ensuring hotels address sustainability while also ensuring that food reaches families, not landfills,” said Lauren Pravlik, AHLA VP of Committees & Member Engagement, in a media announcement. “We are proud of our industry’s food waste reduction programs like Hotel Kitchen—a complimentary resource for the hotel industry to educate teams on ways to prevent, divert and donate excess food—and are excited to join many other industries who have made this commitment.”
In 2017, AHLA and WWF launched the Hotel Kitchen program, which provides educational training and resources on food waste reduction for the hospitality industry. As part of the work to generate the materials, AHLA and WWF led research and a series of workshops focused on innovative strategies to cut down on food waste in hotel kitchens—and participating hotels saw reductions of up to 38 percent in just 12 weeks.
AHLA has supported several federal bills that support food waste reduction efforts, including the Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, the Food Date Labeling Act, and the Zero Food Waste Act.
AHLA is the 30th business to join the U.S. Food Waste Pact. Other signatories are retailers Albertsons Companies, Ahold Delhaize USA, ALDI US, Amazon Fresh, Kroger, New Seasons Market, Raley’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, Walmart Inc., and Whole Foods Market; manufacturers Bob’s Red Mill, Del Monte Fresh Produce Company, and Lamb Weston, Inc.; coalition signatories Health Care Without Harm and R&DE Stanford Food Institute; trade associations FMI—The Food Industry Association, the International Fresh Produce Association, and Western Growers Association; foodservice signatories Aramark, Compass Group USA, ISS Guckenheimer, and Sodexo USA; quick-service restaurants CAVA, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and Wawa; hospitality signatory Hilton; and distributors Organically Grown Company and Midwest Foods.
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