The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has launched a campaign to reduce food waste in travel and hospitality.
Pata unveiled its BUFFET – Building Understanding for Food Excess in Tourism – campaign this week in partnership with German sustainable tourism group Futouris and food redistribution charity Scholars of Sustenance (Thai-SOS).
The association said it aims to “challenge our industry to reduce food waste to landfill”.
The campaign will seek to raise awareness of food waste in the industry and create resources for hoteliers and others to reduce the wasted food going to landfill.
Pata said the initiative “aims to impact our industry at large” but would focus on Asia and hotels in Bangkok in its Bangkok Hotels Project.
It noted:
• One-third of all foods produced in the world is wasted
• Food waste is the third-biggest contributor to climate change
• Additional pressures arise from global greenhouse gas emissions caused by food production and transport
• 842 million people do not have enough to eat
Pata chief executive Mario Hardy said: “With significant growth expected in the industry and especially the Asia Pacific region, greater waste can be expected.
“Our aim is to curb that waste by bringing the tourism and hospitality sectors together to reduce our impact on the planet by reducing food waste to landfill.”
Hardy added: “Reducing food waste will reduce the cost for operators while benefiting the environment.”