UN Tourism Launches “Tourism Food for Good”: Initiative To Cut Food Waste With 2040 Impact Roadmap
SDG 2: Zero Hunger | SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Institutions: Ministry of Tourism
UN Tourism, TUI Care Foundation, and the Centre for Resilience and Sustainable Development (CRSD) of the University of Cambridge have launched “Tourism Food for Good”, a new global initiative. The initiative aims to co-create sustainable and circular food systems across the entire tourism value chain, tackling both developmental imperatives and the urgent humanitarian challenge of food insecurity. It was announced ahead of World Food Day.
The core goal is ambitious: to minimize food loss and waste (estimated at 20% to 40% in the sector), enhance the redistribution of surplus food, and reduce tourism’s food-related carbon footprint. To achieve this, the partnership will develop the 2040 Impact Roadmap for Sustainable Food Systems in Tourism, a framework to identify key leverage points for transformation. The initiative’s methodology, which will first be piloted in Cabo Verde, is driven by systems thinking and participatory research to ensure solutions are scientifically evidenced and locally informed.
This global partnership provides a ready-made framework and methodology for the Indian Ministry of Tourism and state tourism departments to implement circular economy principles, strengthening local economies and reducing the significant food waste produced by large hotel and hospitality chains.
What is a Circular Food System in the context of tourism? → A Circular Food System is an approach to food management that redesigns how food is produced, sourced, served, and reused within the tourism value chain, moving away from a linear “take-make-dispose” model. It focuses on minimizing food waste and loss at every stage, redistributing surpluses, and giving value to food by-products, ensuring food becomes a force for good in nourishing communities and regenerating ecosystems.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can India leverage the “Tourism Food for Good” framework to formally integrate local food security goals and millet promotion within the national tourism policy framework?
Follow the full news here: https://www.untourism.int/news/un-tourism-tui-care-foundation-and-university-of-cambridge-launch-tourism-food-for-good-to-transform-food-systems-in-tourism