Kai Commitment has welcomed Compass Group New Zealand as the first full-service food provider to join it's movement.
Compass Group New Zealand has joined Kai Commitment, becoming the first full-service food provider in New Zealand to sign up to the voluntary agreement focused on reducing food waste across the food system.
Kai Commitment has brought together leading businesses through a voluntary agreement to take coordinated, practical action on food waste, an issue with significant environmental, economic and social impact. Existing signatories include Woolworths New Zealand, Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms.
Compass delivers more than 150,000 meals each day across New Zealand, spanning education, health, defence and business sectors. At this scale, even small operational improvements can have a meaningful impact.
The move builds on Compass’ existing investment in food waste reduction, including the use of Leanpath technology over the past three years to track, measure and reduce waste in kitchens.
Compass Director of Retail and Supply Chain Solutions, Jane Fitzpatrick, said joining Kai Commitment formalises and accelerates work already underway.
“We’ve been focused on reducing food waste across our sites for several years. Kai Commitment gives us a clear and proven framework to build on that work, set measurable goals, and keep improving over time,” said Fitzpatrick.
Through the Kai Commitment measurement programme, Compass will establish a baseline for food waste across its operations with the aim of achieving a 50 percent reduction by 2030, aligning with broader national and global targets.
The focus is on practical, day-to-day improvements within kitchens, from better forecasting and preparation, through to making better use of ingredients that might otherwise be discarded.
“In large-scale kitchens, some waste can occur through normal processes like preparation. Our focus is on identifying those opportunities and finding practical ways to reduce them, whether that’s improving planning, or repurposing ingredients into other meals where appropriate.”
Compass will also expand its focus on staff education and capability, working with Kai Commitment to provide training and resources for teams across the country, and to support broader behaviour change around food waste.
Kai Commitment Executive Director, Carmen Doran, said Compass’ participation is significant given its scale and reach.
“When a provider of Compass’ size commits to reducing food waste, it has the potential to drive meaningful change across the entire food system,” said Doran.
“Bringing food service into Kai Commitment is a critical evolution, extending the tools, data and insights we’ve developed over the past three years into large-scale, day-to-day operations. This is about scaling what works and creating a clear, practical pathway for food service operators to be part of a more efficient, low-waste system, while also meeting growing expectations from customers and consumers around sustainability and responsible food use.”
Compass said the partnership reflects a broader commitment to operating responsibly and contributing to a more efficient and sustainable food system in New Zealand.
“We see this as part of our responsibility as a large food service provider. Reducing waste is good for our operations, but it’s also about making better use of the food we have and supporting a more sustainable system overall.”
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