ISS reduces hunger, diverts surplus food with new programme

ISS A/S (ISS), a leading integrated facilities management and employee experience company, has announced the adoption of a new programme that reduces community hunger by diverting excess food to local charities. The company’s food services brand, ISS Guckenheimer, has teamed with food distribution and food recovery company Goodr, a certified woman and minority-owned business, to measure, assess, and reroute surplus food from corporate cafeterias and dining venues to people in need.

“We’re extremely happy with the results so far with this programme and our relationship with Goodr,” said Paul Fairhead, CEO of ISS Guckenheimer. “We consider this programme a triple win: we provide nutritious meals to people who need them; lower greenhouse emissions through diverted food that would otherwise end up in landfills; and reduce costs by analysing data and making iterative improvements to offerings and purchases.”

“We are proud of the impact our partnership with ISS Guckenheimer is already having on the company and their local community,” said Jasmine Crowe, founder and CEO of Goodr. “We look forward to continuing our work together to reduce ISS Guckenheimer’s food waste and fight hunger with our technology and logistics.”

A primary challenge to businesses operating in the food services industry is creating enough product to meet customer need demand while also minimising excess production in order to keep costs down and avoid waste.  Occupancy fluctuations due to the pandemic have at times made this balance more difficult to achieve. Faced with instances of surplus product, ISS Guckenheimer leverages Goodr technology and the power of national networks and logistics to get food to those who need it most. 

Goodr’s technology includes a dashboard with waste tracking metrics for chefs to reduce food cost. Through this dashboard, chefs can track donation trends and adjust prep levels or scale back ordering of specific items as needed. The system also allows food service teams to notice new trends in dining. For example, frequent donations of meat entrees may prompt chefs to increase plant-forward offerings. Goodr’s technology also provides waste diversion rates as well as the social and environmental impact of a company’s Surplus Food Recovery efforts. In 2021, Goodr’s Surplus Food Recovery programme served over 480,000 meals and diverted more than 580,000 pounds, across all of its partners. 

This programme aligns with the company’s recently announced ambitions and strategy for Net Zero Emissions and further supports its mission to help clients minimise their impact on the environment by reducing the use of energy and water, decreasing carbon emissions, and cutting production of waste, including food. 

About ISS

ISS is a leading workplace experience and facility management company. In partnership with customers, ISS drives the engagement and well-being of people, minimises the impact on the environment, and protects and maintains property. ISS brings all of this to life through a unique combination of data, insight and service excellence at offices, factories, airports, hospitals and other locations across the globe. ISS has close to 350,000 employees around the globe, who we call “placemakers”. In 2021, ISS Group’s global revenue amounted to DKK 71 billion. For more information on the ISS Group, visit www.qa.issworld.com.

About Goodr

Founded in 2017, Goodr is a sustainable waste management and hunger relief company that leverages technology and logistics to help its partners reduce their food waste and provide meals to those in need. Goodr, a certified B-Corp, is built on the principle that food insecurity is not an issue of scarcity; it's a matter of logistics. Goodr offers a variety of Hunger Relief and Food Waste Solutions, which include Surplus Food Recovery, Organics Recycling, Pop-Up Grocery Markets, Goodr Grocery Stores. Headquartered in Atlanta, Goodr operates nationwide with clients in industries ranging from food service and hospitality to arenas, celebrities and more. As of 2022, Goodr has redirected over 20 million pounds of surplus food to those in need and away from landfills. For more information on Goodr, visit www.goodr.co or follow the company on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, @goodrco.