Reducing food waste across Defence

To mark #FoodWasteActionWeek, we are showcasing some of the work DIO suppliers are delivering across the Defence estate.

Feeding so many people across an estate as large as ours means everything must be meticulously planned and coordinated to ensure a smooth and efficient experience. Supplying meals across Defence requires flexibility to accommodate last minute changes, but how do we balance this with ensuring we aren’t wasting food?

At DIO we are committed to embedding sustainability into everything we do. We’ve asked our suppliers to share their success stories on the actions they are taking to reduce the amount of food being wasted and help keep Defence green.

Reducing food waste and the connected emissions will help us take the next step to a greener future. 

ESS partners with Olio to share surplus food

Bob Gray, Managing Director of ESS Defence, Marine and Aerospace, said:

“We’ve partnered with the community sharing app Olio • Share More, Waste Less to redistribute good-to-eat surplus food to members of the local community.

“This is a great initiative where we donate pre-packed products and fresh fruit and vegetables that are close to their use by date from our stores, cafes and restaurants. We are delighted to be taking positive steps to help reduce food waste whilst also helping local people in need.”

Following a successful trial at military sites where ESS - Defence, Energy and Government Services operates in the West Midlands, the programme has been extended to cover its establishments in the South West and Wales. Olio is now collecting excess food from 46 ESS sites.

Since the partnership began in July 2023, 29,687 items or 9,949kg of edible food has been saved.

That equates to:

🍽 20,942 meals,

🏘 1,318 household fed,

🍃37,934kg of CO2 emissions,

💧Over 6.5 million litres of water.

How Aramark is reducing food waste

Aramark has implemented separate food waste recycling services in place of food being disposed of in general waste. This led to 18 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) being eliminated through the introduction of food waste recycling between 2020 to 2022. Food waste represents a small proportion of expenditure for the MOD relative to other essential services, however it has a significant environmental impact, as evidenced by the reduction in CO2e from food recycling. ♻

Identifying this problem and working actively to reduce this impact further supports the MODs ongoing efforts to be environmentally conscientious and forward-thinking organisation.

Glyn Ingram, Managing Director of Aramark Government Services, said:

“The MOD accounts for 50% of the UK central Government's emissions and is one of the largest waste producers within the UK Government. We’ve been working hard with DIO and Greenzone Facilities Management to help meet our Greening Government Commitments and better manage our waste.

“This includes implementing waste plans across the estate that supports our waste management strategy. We’ve taken an evidence-based approach to reducing generated waste and what goes to landfill, better recycling and reporting on food waste and acknowledged that continuous proactive management is required to initiate a significant behavioural and cultural change.

“Through this initiative, Greenzone and Aramark Defence Services shared best practices and learnings among wider communities and ensure ‘continuous improvement’ started to become culture.”

Sodexo introduces WasteWatch programme

Sodexo has recently introduced its WasteWatch programme. WasteWatch measures both pre-consumer food waste (generated in the kitchen) and post-consumer (plate waste). It’s powered by LeanPath software, an automated system that provides key management information and reports, which can then be used to set waste reduction goals, bespoke on each location. These trackers are being increased across all their Defence sites and have had a massive impact.

Dale Hegarty, Sodexo Senior Continuous Improvement Manager – Food Service, said:

“Understanding where and why food waste is occurring is critical to creating effective plans for preventing it in the future. All managers and nominate WasteWatch champions at each site receive weekly email updates from LeanPath which give them an at-a-glance' summary of their food waste weight for the week, number of transactions and progress to their baseline. We then turn this data into action plans.

“WasteWatch has enabled Sodexo’s kitchen teams to see regular snapshots of their food waste profile and this data is driving them to make behavioural changes and more informed decisions and is encouraging open honest conversations with military partners on base to better understand the reasons for plate waste and encourage change in this space.

“There is compelling evidence to show WasteWatch is having a demonstrable impact.”

Food Action Waste Week occurs every year and was set up by Love Food Hate Waste in 2021. 4.7 million tonnes of edible food is thrown away by UK households every year. 25% of this food is wasted as a result of cooking, preparing or serving too much - costing households in the UK £4.9 billion each year.

DIO and our contractors continue to find innovative ways to reduce this waste across the Defence estate both in the UK and overseas.