Eurest Combats Food Waste with New Partnerships and Initiatives
September 29th - International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day
Today, September 29th, marks International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day.
In a world where one-third of food ends up wasted, Eurest Portugal marks this day with new initiatives and partnerships that reinforce the goal of reducing food waste by 50% by 2030, as part of the global Planet Promise strategy. Eurest Portugal is engaging consumers from schools, businesses, and the healthcare sector in concrete awareness-raising and food donation initiatives across the country.
As part of the celebrations, Eurest is launching new strategic partnerships, such as a collaboration agreement with TAP Air Portugal and Refood, which will ensure that all donations from the “Conscious Consumption, Respect the Environment” campaign made at TAP will go to Refood in Olivais. The campaign combines the gesture of returning an empty tray with a social commitment: for every tray returned without food waste, Eurest donates 10 grams of non-perishable food to charity. Given the high volume of meals served daily in this dining space, this initiative generates a significant impact. A protocol was also established with Refood da Maia, ensuring that surplus produce from local Eurest units is redirected to this institution, reinforcing the solidarity and sustainability dimension of the operation.
The mobilisation is also gaining momentum in schools. At Helen Keller School in Lisbon, Eurest is also launching the “Zero Waste Heroes” campaign, which promotes more responsible consumption habits from an early age through a fun, educational activity that rewards children every time they return their trays without any leftover food.
Today, all meals served by Eurest will feature soups, side dishes, and desserts prepared with stems, peels, seeds, and other parts of foods that are almost always wasted. This initiative – Integral Food Use – aims to show consumers that using the less valuable parts of food is a sustainable, tasty, and creative way to combat food waste.
A visionary in this field, Eurest launched the “Conscious Consumption, Respect the Environment” campaign in 2007, long before the topic gained the global relevance it has today. Since then, it has developed multiple innovative projects, including the Integral Food Use program, the internal EurestChef Stop Food Waste competition – which has already resulted in three sustainable cookbooks, with the fourth edition scheduled for October – and the “Zero Waste Heroes” campaign, recognised as Best Project of the Year by Viver Saudável magazine.
Henrique Leite, Managing Director of Eurest Portugal, states: “At Eurest, we believe that every small gesture counts. Over the years, we’ve shown that it’s possible to change habits, significantly reduce food waste, and generate a positive impact on the community. International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day is an opportunity to reinforce our commitment to more responsible and compassionate eating among consumers and partners.”
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