CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Doing good for people and planet has been at the heart of the sustainability strategy of Compass Group, the world’s largest food and support services company. As founders of Stop Food Waste Day™, the annual, international day of action aimed at reducing food waste, the company is now the first national foodservice company to partner with Do Good Foods™, a climate-forward food company that is on a mission to end food waste and combat climate change with Do Good Chicken™, the first U.S. chicken brand with USDA verified carbon-reduced benefits.
In the U.S., a staggering 35% of all food goes unsold or uneaten – almost 90 billion meals’ worth of food annually, according to ReFED, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending food loss and waste across the U.S. food system. By creating a closed-loop system where surplus healthy food from grocery stores – after food bank donations – is upcycled into nutritious feed for chickens, Do Good Chicken is making strides to fight food waste and combat climate change. Each Do Good Chicken stops approximately four pounds of surplus groceries from being thrown away, therefore reducing nearly three pounds of greenhouse gasses (CO2e).
“Do Good Foods shows what’s possible when you creatively look at opportunities to make change that benefits people and the planet,” said Amy Keister, Global Director of Sustainability, Compass Group. “Introducing Do Good Chicken in our cafes and dining venues not only reinforces our own sustainability commitments and Net Zero goals, but it is another way that we’re supporting our clients’ efforts to reduce their carbon footprint – all while helping our guests make a difference by simply enjoying a delicious meal.”
Beginning this month, Do Good Chicken will begin appearing on café menus at Condé Nast and Google, as well as other café and event venues Compass Group operates. Through the Compass Group partnership, Do Good Chicken was also served at select hospitality venues at the US Open Tennis Championships.
The partnership with Do Good Foods reinforces Compass Group’s Net Zero commitment and efforts to work with clients and suppliers to halve food waste across the company’s global operations by 2030. It further builds on Compass Group’s food waste awareness leadership and sustainability journey that includes building partnerships with purpose and aligning with the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals.
“We’re thrilled to join forces with Compass Group in the fight against food waste and its effect on climate change. We know it will take all of us working together to make a real impact,” said Justin Kamine, co-CEO and co-Founder of Do Good Foods, parent company of Do Good Chicken. “While every small action made by individuals makes a difference, we recognize the reach and scale of like-minded partners like Compass Group is a huge step forward toward a better future.”
One third of all food produced globally is wasted every year. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), if food waste were its own country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Do Good Chicken recently announced that in the first six months since the products were launched, it has already diverted more than 10 million pounds of food surplus from landfills, preventing an estimated 950 metric tons of greenhouse gases (CO2e) from entering the atmosphere.
“The problem of food waste is hard to overstate, and I know there are things we can do as a community of chefs to make real change,” said Sam Kass, Chief Strategy Officer, Do Good Foods, and former White House Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition. “From previous work with Stop Food Waste Day, I know that Compass Group is committed to finding and implementing meaningful solutions. This partnership is another way we can empower chefs to use food to promote a healthier planet.”
About Compass Group North America
Compass Group is redefining the food and support services landscape with innovation and passion through the lens of what’s next. Serving premier healthcare systems, respected educational institutions, world-renowned cultural centers, popular sporting and entertainment venues, and Fortune 500 organizations the world over, Compass Group always finds a way to deliver excellence in nearly any vertical. Whether it’s serving school meals students love, high-end concessions in stadiums, or nourishing, home style meals for seniors, Compass is an industry leader. Ranked No. 1 by industry peers on Fortune’s 2020 list of World’s Most Admired Companies, Compass has also earned a spot on Forbes’ list of the Best Employers for Diversity in 2020 and is among the Top 50 Companies Changing the World according to Fortune. Learn more about the Compass experience at www.compass-usa.com.
About Do Good Foods
Do Good Foods™ is a revolutionary climate-forward company. Its carbon-reduced food products give consumers a delicious way to fight food waste and combat climate change from their kitchen. Founded by the Kamine family, Do Good Foods has created a closed-loop system with state-of-the-art infrastructure designed to upcycle surplus grocery food (after community donations occur) into nutritious animal feed. Do Good Foods’ first product, Do Good Chicken™, is raised using this healthy feed and can be purchased locally giving consumers an opportunity to make an immediate environmental impact and Do Good…for Plate & Planet.™
