KFC Thailand on twin missions: providing food to needy, tackling waste
Fast food chain KFC Thailand has come up with a project to ensure zero hunger among underprivileged people and tackle the impact of food waste on the environment.
The company’s senior marketing manager, Janett Rungsithikul, said on Friday that the project “Harvest & Colonel’s Kitchen” was in line with the company’s mission to enable people to access high quality foods.
She said restaurants cooked excessive amounts of food each day, which could be consumed or used as ingredients for other meals.
She explained that the company has collaborated with the Social Development and Human Security Ministry, and Scholars of Sustenance (SOS) Thailand, in delivering the excess chicken to people.
“Currently, the project has offered more than 2 million meals to people,” she said, adding that 200 of 1,110 KFC branches nationwide have delivered excess chicken for people.
Janett said KFC Thailand has collaborated with Equitable Education Fund in the project “KFC Bucket Search” to allow children who have dropped out of school to return to the education system.
The company has collaborated with SOS Thailand in building kitchens at 10 foster homes and community agencies nationwide, she added.
She said the company aimed to ensure equal access to food and reduce food waste, saying that every country around the world was facing food waste and hunger issues.
“The role of restaurant operators is not just selling foods with high quality and nutritional benefits to consumers, but they have to take responsibility for the people, environment and society,” she said.
According to a United Nations Environment Program report, up to 1,050 metric tons of food waste was generated worldwide in 2022, or 79 kilograms per person.
This means at least 1 billion meals were disposed of daily, the report said, adding that the amount of food waste could be higher than its estimates.
KFC Thailand noted that 60% of food waste was generated from household consumption, followed by restaurants and food outlets (28%), and retail stores (12%).
Thailand generated up to 4 million tons of food waste annually while 3.8 million people were at risk of hunger, the company said.
