Starbucks joins Walmart, Aldi and others in pact to tackle food waste

US coffee chain Starbucks has joined the US Food Waste Pact, a voluntary NGO-led initiative to share data and set targets to reduce food waste in operations.

Starbucks is the second quick service restaurant to join the pact after fast food chain Chick-fil-A. Other signatories to the pact include grocery retailers Ahold Delhaize USA, Aldi, Amazon Fresh and Walmart, as well as foodservice firms Sodexo and Compass Group.

“We take an innovative approach to reduce food waste, such as through our FoodShare programme, where we donate surplus food from our stores to local food banks. We also help strengthen food banks to ensure donations are distributed equitably and sustainably. By participating in the US Food Waste Pact, we work with others in the industry to improve food waste reduction, both within Starbucks and across the sector," said Kelly Goodejohn, Starbucks Chief Social Impact Officer.

Food waste responsible for more than 5% of US emissions 

According to non-profit ReFED, which leads the US Food Waste Pact alongside WWF, 38% of food produced in the US goes to waste, with the vast majority sent to landfills, incinerators and sewer systems. This is estimated to contribute 5.2% of the country’s total annual GHG emissions.

Wasted food amounts to over 90 million tonnes annually – equivalent to 149 billion meals, and it is worth about US$495 billion.

"Having Starbucks as a signatory of the US Food Waste Pact is a big step forward for the QSR subsector," said Jackie Suggitt, VP of Business Initiatives & Community Engagement at ReFED. "Food waste happens across the supply chain, and targeting the QSR subsector broadens our impact and action in reducing food waste systemwide."

Starbucks food waste reduction target

Starbucks has set a target to reduce food waste in US operations by 50% by 2030 – a goal aligned with many other Pact signatories. One of the key initiatives the coffee chain has taken to achieve that is the launch of its FoodShare programme, which donates leftover food to charity organisations. 

Since 2016, Starbucks’ FoodShare programme has diverted more than 75 million pounds of food from waste streams and donated more than 63 million meals.