Starbucks joins U.S. Food Waste PactStarbucks joins U.S. Food Waste Pact

Starbucks has become the second quick-service restaurant chain after Chick-fil-A to join the U.S. Food Waste Pact: a national voluntary agreement created in partnership between nonprofits ReFed and the World Wildlife Fund.

The global framework is designed to help food businesses reduce waste within their operations, reduce waste through measuring and reporting annual food waste data, drive collaboration across the supply chain, and participate in pilot projects for new food waste solutions.

"[Starbucks] takes an innovative approach to reduce food waste, such as through our FoodShare program, where we donate surplus food from our stores to local food banks,” Kelly Goodejohn, Starbucks chief social impact officer, said in a statement. “We also help strengthen food banks to ensure donations are distributed equitably and sustainably. By participating in the U.S. Food Waste Pact, we work with others in the industry to improve food waste reduction, both within Starbucks and across the sector.”

Other participants in the U.S. Food Waste Pact include Amazon Fresh, Aramark, Compass Group, Walmart, and Whole Foods. In May 2024, Chick-fil-A became the first quick-service restaurant to join the pact.

"Having Starbucks as a signatory of the U.S. Food Waste Pact is a big step forward for the QSR subsector," Jackie Suggitt, vice president of business initiatives and  community engagement at ReFed, said in a statement. "Starbucks is an industry leader, especially when it comes to food donation and the example that their FoodShare program is setting. Food waste happens across the supply chain, and targeting the QSR subsector broadens our impact and action in reducing food waste systemwide."

Related:Starbucks continues its sustainability investments with new solar power projects

This is just the latest environmental impact action Starbucks has taken. Last summer, the Seattle-based coffee chain joined other restaurants in piloting a reusable cups program with NextGen Consortium and also announced new solar energy projects. Last October, Starbucks added two new sustainable coffee farms in South America with the goal of fighting climate change.

Contact Joanna at [email protected]