12/10/2022

Thai Union Conducts Food Waste Management and Nutrition Program for Schools with Scholars of Sustenance Foundation in Samut Sakhon

SAMUT SAKHON, 12 October 2022 ─ Thai Union Group PCL conducted a food waste management and nutrition program for students for students at Wat Srisuttharam school in Samut Sakhon province, in collaboration with the Scholars of Sustenance Foundation.

The three-hour workshop provided students with knowledge about the food waste challenges in Thailand and how they can help to manage food waste, including composting. The students also learned about the importance of eating nutritionally rich food to help stimulate the brain, build muscles and strengthen bones.

In Thailand, approximately 64 percent of total waste is organic waste including food waste, with every person contributing the equivalent of 245 kilograms of food waste per year, according to a 2017 report by the Thai Pollution Control Department.

Thai Union hosted the workshop with the Scholars of Sustenance Foundation, the first food rescue foundation in Thailand which has expertise and experience in food waste management, nutrition and food composting. Together, they are working to raise awareness among students and teachers about food waste issues and how they can help to address the issue, while ensuring they understand what food surplus is and the impact food waste has on climate change.

Students were also taught about daily nutrition guidelines and how to read and understand nutrition labels on food packaging including energy value, sugar, fat and sodium content so they could make informed choices when shopping for food.

Adam Brennan, Group Director of Sustainability at Thai Union, said “food waste is a significant global challenge which is linked to issues in providing food and water security, tackling climate change and reversing our global solid waste trajectory. It’s important that we broaden awareness about the impact of food waste on the environment and society by educating consumers on how they can be part of the solution by making positive changes to the way they manage food waste.”

Naphat Phongpheat, Assistant Project Manager of Scholars of Sustenance Foundation said, “Being able to collaborate with Thai Union in activities to share nutrition and food waste management knowledge with students at Wat Srisuttharam School was a really exciting opportunity for us as we continue our work to expand knowledge among students about these important issues. We hope that we can continue to work with other students and schools as we believe the next generation can play an important role in tackling this challenge.”

Thai Union has also set its own ambitious goals on the issue of food waste. The company introduced its Commitment on Food Loss and Food Waste Reduction in 2021, with a target of reducing food loss in its own ambient, frozen and chilled seafood operations by 50 percent by 2025, compared to a 2021 baseline. Thai Union is also committed to working with its customers and partners to further reduce food waste at the retail and consumer level.