Events and food are at the heart of the travel industry, yet an unfortunate truth is that 40 per cent of events food goes to waste whilst 3.5 million Australian household face food insecurity.
It is a serious problem that FCM Meetings & Events is hoping to solve by partnering with food relief charity FareShare.
FCM parent company Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) recently raised $65,000 for FareShare through staff contributions via the Flight Centre Foundation, with funds matched by FCTG.
The donation will support meal preparation and distribution at FareShare’s Melbourne and Brisbane kitchens, which provide free, nutritious meals to people facing hardship.
“We see the volume of food produced and discarded at events every day, and we know we all have the potential to do better,” said Katie Fraser, general manager customer and operations for FCM Meetings & Events.
“Our colleagues across FCTG have proudly rallied behind FareShare through the Flight Centre Foundation. As an events business, we can take this further by addressing food waste directly in our operations.”
FareShare has been cooking free, nutritious meals for Australians experiencing homelessness, domestic violence, food insecurity and other hardships for more than two decades.
The charity’s chefs and volunteers deliver ready-to-eat meals that support dignity and wellbeing across the community.
FCM M&E’s commitment includes:
- Working with venues, caterers and suppliers to reduce food waste and identify surplus food donation opportunities
- Encouraging staff to volunteer at FareShare kitchens and partner organisations, which is already underway
- Embedding food waste reduction strategies into event planning and delivery.
- The commitment aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve food waste by 2030.
“FareShare has the expertise and infrastructure to turn this industry challenge into community impact,” Fraser added.
“Through our venue partnerships and supply chain, we can help reduce food waste by supporting the invaluable work happening through the Flight Centre Foundation.”
