How Sustainability Comes to Life at Compass Group Canada

From Stop Food Waste Day to national recognition, here’s what we’ve been up to, and what it means for all of us.

Reducing food waste. Community impact. Responsible sourcing. These are just a few of the ways sustainability comes to life across Compass Group Canada every day.

From finding creative ways to use ingredients that might otherwise go to waste to donating surplus food and making small operational changes that add up over time, teams across the country continue to find practical ways to make a difference.

This year, we marked the 10th anniversary of Stop Food Waste Day, a movement that started as a conversation-starter and has grown into a global call to action. To celebrate, we hosted an interactive Sustainability Showcase at our Corporate Office in Mississauga, bringing many of our sustainability initiatives together in one place.

Through hands-on displays, partner activations, food waste tracking demonstrations, and sustainability pledges, associates had the opportunity to learn more about the role we can all play in reducing food waste.

A standout moment was a live cooking demonstration from Chef Kory Dipucchio, Compass Group’s Global Stop Food Waste Day Ambassador. Using ingredients that are often overlooked or discarded, Chef Kory showed how simple it can be to transform potential food waste into something delicious, a reminder that reducing waste doesn’t always require major changes. Often, it’s about looking at what we already have a little differently.

While Stop Food Waste Day shines a spotlight on one important part of our sustainability journey, the work extends far beyond a single day.

Over the past year, that commitment has been recognized through several significant sustainability achievements.

Compass Group Canada was named one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2026, reflecting our commitment to building a workplace where sustainability is embedded in how we operate every day.

We were also honoured with the Food Rescue Hero Award from Second Harvest. Through our partnership, surplus food from our sites is redirected to communities across Canada. Since 2018, this collaboration has helped provide more than one million meals and prevented more than 1.6 million kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions.

Adding to the momentum, Compass Group Canada received the KML Green Leadership Award for Outstanding Commitment to Environmental Stewardship, recognizing our role in shaping a more sustainable future for Canada’s hospitality industry.

To learn more about the work happening behind the scenes, we spoke with Jennifer Lambert, Director of Sustainability at Compass Group Canada.

What does it look like when sustainability becomes part of a company’s DNA versus just a campaign?

When sustainability becomes part of a company’s DNA, it stops being something you talk about once in a while and starts showing up in everyday decisions.

At Compass Group Canada, it’s part of how we operate. You can see it in the way we source ingredients, plan menus, reduce waste, and support our clients and communities.

While we have dedicated sustainability leaders helping guide the strategy, real progress happens because people across the business are involved. From chefs and operators to site managers, procurement teams, and associates, everyone has a role to play.

It’s also important that we measure what we’re doing. We regularly track things like food waste so we can see what’s working, find opportunities to improve, and keep building on our progress. Sustainability isn’t a separate initiative; it’s simply part of how we do business every day.

Sustainability can sometimes feel like a huge concept. What are some of the everyday actions happening across our teams that are making a real impact?

One of the things I love about sustainability is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of the biggest impacts come from small, everyday actions happening across our sites.

Reducing food waste is a great example. Teams are tracking waste, improving forecasting, and finding creative ways to use ingredients that might otherwise go unused. Our chefs are also incorporating more plant-forward options, sourcing seasonal ingredients, and highlighting Canadian-grown products whenever possible.

We’re also seeing great progress through reusable container programs. Through our partnership with Friendlier, we’ve surpassed two million containers reused, helping keep a significant amount of waste out of landfills.

What really stands out to me, though, is the level of ownership we’re seeing across the business. Teams are sharing ideas, trying new approaches, and finding solutions that work for their sites and communities. Whether it’s piloting a reusable program or donating surplus food to a local organization, those efforts add up.

Sustainability can feel like a big concept, but at the end of the day, it’s really about people making thoughtful choices every day. That’s where the real impact happens.

If you could describe Compass Group Canada’s sustainability journey in three words, what would they be?

Practical, collaborative, and evolving.

The progress we’ve made is something to be proud of, and there’s more to come. Every action, big or small, adds up. Thank you to the teams across Compass Group Canada who make this work real every single day.