Food waste reduction

ISS, the global leader in workplace experience and facilities management, has partnered with community-sharing app Olio across 35 NHS hospitals to collect spare food each day and to share with local families in need. The partnership, which began on Feb. 5, followed a successful pilot scheme at three ISS healthcare sites.

hTe seven-week pilot saw ISS and Olio deliver excellent results, with Olio volunteers rescuing 426kgs of food from going to waste by making sure it ended up feeding local families. In total, the pilot saw:

▪ 681 meals redistributed in the local community

▪ 214,000 liters of water saved from food growing and production processes

▪ 1,100kg of CO2 emissions avoided by circumventing the methane emitted from food in landfills

This innovative new partnership forms part of ISS’s commitment to championing sustainable workplaces and to deliver its Net Zero and sustainability agenda — as a global leader in the sector, delivering more than one million meals daily worldwide, the company has the power to drive real change in the food and catering sector.

Linda Cregan, head of Food Sustainability & Education Catering for ISS UK & Ireland, said:

“We are delighted to partner with Olio to tackle food waste and support local communities in need. This initiative aligns with our vision of creating a positive impact for people and planet through our food services. We’re proud of the results achieved by our teams and Olio volunteers during the pilot, and we look forward to scaling up this partnership across more NHS hospitals in the future.”

Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder and COO at Olio, said:

"Teaming up with ISS to expand our reach across 35 NHS hospitals is a tremendous step forward on our mission to make sure every business does their bit to fight hunger and stop food waste. The success of our trial is a great early indicator for what’s to come — and we hope to see many other hospitals and caterers within the healthcare sector follow suit. Welcome to Olio, ISS and the NHS!"