2024-03-13
ISS partners with Olio to fight hunger and food waste across 35 NHS hospitals
ISS, the global leader in workplace experience and facilities management, has partnered with community-sharing app Olio across 35 NHS hospitals to collect spare food each day and to share with local families in need. The partnership, which began on 5 February, followed a successful pilot scheme at three ISS healthcare sites.
The seven-week pilot saw ISS and Olio deliver excellent results, with Olio volunteers rescuing 426kgs of food from going to waste by making sure it ended up feeding local families. In total, the pilot saw:
- 681 meals redistributed in the local community
- 214,000 litres of water saved from food growing and production processes
- 1,100kg of CO2 emissions avoided by circumventing the methane emitted from food in landfills
This innovative new partnership forms part of ISS’s commitment to championing sustainable workplaces and to deliver its Net Zero and sustainability agenda — as a global leader in the sector, delivering more than one million meals daily worldwide, the company has the power to drive real change in the food and catering sector.
Linda Cregan, Head of Food Sustainability & Education Catering for ISS UK & Ireland, said:
“We are delighted to partner with Olio to tackle food waste and support local communities in need. This initiative aligns with our vision of creating a positive impact for people and planet through our food services. We’re proud of the results achieved by our teams and Olio volunteers during the pilot, and we look forward to scaling up this partnership across more NHS hospitals in the future.”
Andrew Gipson, Services Director for ISS UK & Ireland, said:
“I have been really impressed with the engagement from the Olio team and how quickly they have been able to set up our trial sites. I am really keen to spread this fantastic project wider across our healthcare business.”
Saasha Celestial-One, Co-Founder and COO at Olio, said:
"Teaming up with ISS to expand our reach across 35 NHS hospitals is a tremendous step forward on our mission to make sure every business does their bit to fight hunger and stop food waste. The success of our trial is a great early indicator for what’s to come — and we hope to see many other hospitals and caterers within the healthcare sector follow suit. Welcome to Olio, ISS and the NHS!"
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For media enquiries: David Melnick | david.melnick@uk.issworld.com | Tel: +44 (0) 73 956 00911 About Olio: Olio was founded in 2015 as a food-waste fighting app, providing a platform for people to pass on unwanted food to other locals instead of throwing it away. 8 years and 8 million downloads later, Olio is now working towards a world free from all kinds of waste. They’re doing this with the help of hundreds of businesses — and thousands of their sites — that donate millions of portions worth of food each month through the Food Waste Heroes Programme. Learn more at www.olioapp.com.