Reducing Food Waste

Australians, each year, waste 7.6 million tonnes of food throughout the supply chain. 70% of this, however, is perfectly edible at the time. Food in landfills generates methane, a greenhouse gas that is at least 25 times more potent than automobile emissions, and thus, this waste contributes significantly to environmental damage. 

Beyond the environmental impact, food waste represents a significant economic loss for businesses and consumers. Many manufacturers find themselves with surplus stock due to cancelled orders, limited storage, or products nearing their use-by dates, leaving them with few options besides disposal.

Sodexo recognised the opportunity to reduce food waste while supporting a local business that was doing wonders for the community and the environment alike. And thus, Sodexo became one of the first companies to partner with Yume, in 2017.

Sodexo leveraged Yume’s marketplace and integrated the surplus food into its procurement processes without compromising quality. The food from Yume meets the same high standards as other suppliers of Sodexo while avoiding food waste.

Additionally, Yume’s food redistribution platform streamlines the procurement process, ensuring easy spot buys, compliance checks, and efficient delivery—even to remote locations, which is critical for Sodexo’s operations in over 100 mining villages and camps, on and offshore, providing food services to over 20,000 workers daily.

This partnership is a key part of Sodexo’s broader food waste reduction strategy and aligns with its commitment to the Australian Food Pact as its signatory, aiming to halve the nation’s food waste by 2030. By working across the entire supply chain, from farm to fork, Sodexo and Yume demonstrate that surplus food can be transformed into a solution rather than a problem, thereby benefiting businesses, communities, and the planet.