Carnival Corp hits food waste cut target ‘a year ahead of schedule’

Carnival Corporation hit a food waste reduction target a year ahead of schedule in 2024.

The world’s largest cruise company saw a 44% per person cut compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

This surpassed a 2025 40% target a year in advance and put the organisation “well on its way” towards a 50% reduction goal set for 2030.

The parent company of lines such as UK brands P&O Cruises and Cunard said it had avoided more than $250 million in food costs by fine-tuning its provisioning, preparation and meal service practices for almost 13.5 million annual passengers and to reduce the amount of uneaten food globally in its operations. 

The reductions are a result of the company’s ongoing ‘Less Left Over’ food management strategy focused on its brands finding smart ways to ensure food and ingredients don’t go to waste. 

Actions on board include serving ‘just right’ portions to passengers who have the option to come back for second helpings.

The company is also maximising the usable life of food by repurposing scraps into new products – from producing vegan soap from used coffee grounds to converting used cooking oil into biofuel for its land-based tour buses in Alaska.

Chief executive Josh Weinstein said: “Our ‘Less Left Over’ strategy is powered by dozens of large and small programmes and technologies across our cruise lines to cut food waste by 50% by 2030.

“But more than that, it’s also a global rallying cry that is turning everyday actions into lasting impact by nurturing a shared mindset among our 160,000 talented team members – a mindset that values creativity in delivering amazing meals for our guests and crew while getting the most out of our resources. It’s great for the planet and our bottom line.”