Blog
New Resources Are the First to Help Event Planners and Venues Work Together to Cut Food Waste and Save Dollars
August 4, 2026
New Tools From the U.S. Food Waste Pact Help Hospitality Sector Achieve a 55% Reduction in Food Waste in Key Categories
[CHICAGO, IL, August 4, 2026] — A new toolkit by the U.S. Food Waste Pact (Pact) can help event planners and venues slash food waste and save dollars. The Pact's Low-Waste Events Toolkit, which includes a suite of resources that detail clear steps to implement easy food waste solutions throughout the event cycle, demonstrated an average 55% reduction in food waste in key categories across six pilot sites nationwide. Businesses across all sectors can access the toolkit here.
According to the latest estimates from the nonprofit ReFED, the foodservice sector accounts for almost 20% of food waste in the United States, the equivalent of nearly 21 billion meals valued at $156 billion. The toolkit includes a suite of resources for both event planners and venues to work together to cut food waste, including guidelines that detail clear steps to implement easy food waste solutions throughout the event cycle to maximize results. It adds to the growing body of resources offered by the Pact, a collaborative initiative of 31 food businesses across the country led by ReFED and the nonprofit World Wildlife Fund.
“We see the opportunity to set a new sustainability standard for events,” said Michele Parmelee, U.S. sustainability leader at Deloitte, a pilot participant. “So much food waste can be prevented through planning and collaboration with venues on topics such as menus, service style, amounts, and timing. Our goal is to achieve zero waste at all Deloitte U.S. major meetings and events with 1,000 or more attendees. The Low-Waste Events Toolkit resources highlight the essential steps to reducing food waste at our major meetings and events.”
The Pact resources were developed as part of a 2025 pilot, which for the first time engaged both event planners and venues at six different event locations nationwide with two distinct goals. First, because measurement processes are not standardized across the industry, the pilot aimed to establish best practices when it came to measuring food waste at events. Second, sites implemented easy food waste solutions in three key food categories—bread, dressings & sauces, and fruit—which resulted in an average food waste reduction of 55%. A case study of the pilot is included in the publication of the larger suite of resources, with detailed insight into learnings gained at each site.
The launch of these resources marks the first time that the Pact has published materials for the hospitality industry. Previous pilots set the foundation for work in the subsector, and in 2025, the Pact welcomed Hilton and the American Hotel & Lodging Association as new signatories.
“Creating more sustainable meetings and events is a core priority for Hilton, and one of the ways we’re able to work with our customers to help them host events that support their own sustainability goals,” said Jean Garris Hand, vice present and global head, sustainability and responsible business at Hilton, a Pact signatory and pilot participant. “We want to be an enabler and a partner in their sustainability journey. Participating as a venue in this pilot gave us the opportunity to collaborate closely with event planners, which was invaluable, enabling our teams and yielding impressive results.” Hilton is working to apply the findings and guidelines from the pilot into Meet with Purpose, its sustainable meetings and events offering, which aim to educate and empower teams around smarter foodservice practices.
The signatories of the U.S. Food Waste Pact are retailers Albertsons Companies, Ahold Delhaize USA, ALDI US, Kroger, New Seasons Market, Raley’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, Walmart Inc., and Whole Foods Market; manufacturers Bob’s Red Mill, Del Monte Fresh Produce Company, Lamb Weston, Inc, and Schreiber Foods; coalition signatories Health Care Without Harm and R&DE Stanford Food Institute; trade associations the American Hotel & Lodging Association, FMI—The Food Industry Association, the International Fresh Produce Association, and Western Growers Association; foodservice signatories Aramark, Compass Group USA, ISS Guckenheimer, Legends Global, and Sodexo USA; quick-service restaurants CAVA, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, and Wawa; hospitality signatory Hilton; and distributors Midwest Foods, Organically Grown Company, and Sysco.
About the U.S. Food Waste Pact
The U.S. Food Waste Pact is a national voluntary agreement that uses the “Target, Measure, Act” framework to reduce food waste across the supply chain. The Pact works with waste-generating food businesses and organizations to collect and analyze data about food waste in their operations, share best practices through precompetitive working groups, and test and scale solutions through intervention projects. The Pact is an initiative led by nonprofits ReFED and the World Wildlife Fund. For more information about the U.S. Food Waste Pact, visit http://usfoodwastepact.org/.
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte Services LP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of our legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.
Media Contacts:
Nate Clark, ReFED
Susan McCarthy, WWF
ReFED is a U.S.-based nonprofit that partners with food businesses, funders, solution providers, policymakers, and more to solve food waste. Its vision is a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food system that makes the best use of the food we grow. The organization serves as the definitive source for food waste data, providing the most comprehensive analysis of the food waste problem and solutions to address it. Through its tools and resources, in-person and virtual convenings, and services tailored to help businesses, funders, and solution providers scale their impact, ReFED works to increase adoption of food waste solutions across the supply chain.
Find more news and updates from the ReFED blog, including our press articles and newsletters.