Darden Celebrates ‘Stop Food Waste Day’ With Launch of Two New Initiatives

As much as 40% of the country’s food supply goes to waste, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The staggering estimate illustrates lost opportunities to help those experiencing hunger or food insecurity. It also helps explain why many are also increasingly concerned about the negative environmental consequences and economic implications of food waste.

This Stop Food Waste Day, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business is announcing two new partnerships that combat food waste on North Grounds. Additionally, Darden’s dining service, FLIK Hospitality, is raising awareness with special no-waste menu items.

Food Assist Collaboration Expands to The Forum Hotel

Since the launch of Darden’s partnership with Food Assist in January, the School has donated more than 700 pounds of excess food from Abbott Dining Hall to those in need in the Charlottesville community. Food Assist is a group of undergraduate volunteers that transports surplus food to local shelters and to the UVA Community Food Pantry.

“Collaborating with Food Assist to donate excess food has been a rewarding and impactful experience,” General Manager of Hospitality Alex Lungi said. “This partnership allows FLIK to ensure that surplus food serves a meaningful purpose.”

Lungi noted that FLIK uses a comprehensive and proactive approach toward food waste reduction. In addition to donating food via Food Assist, FLIK’s waste reduction initiatives include menu planning and forecasting to prevent surplus production, training staff on sustainable practices and implementing innovative technologies to track and manage food usage effectively.

The Forum Hotel on North Grounds already practices many food waste reduction practices, and the hotel has also signed on to donate its excess food production with Food Assist starting this month.

Indoor Micro-Farm Coming to Darden This Fall

Galleri Micro-Farm. (Photo courtesy of Babylon Micro-Farms)

Darden is partnering with Babylon Micro-Farms to install hydroponic micro-farm technology into Abbott Dining Hall this fall to further reduce food waste. The indoor Galleri micro-farm can host a rotating menu of more than 45 varieties of nutritious produce year-round, while reducing Darden’s carbon footprint.

“You are what you eat,” said Alexander Olesen, UVA alumnus and co-founder of Babylon Micro-Farms. “Most of the produce that we consume is transported thousands of miles from seed to plate — this is bad for the nutritional value of the produce and terrible for the environment. Growing food closer to the consumer is better you and for the planet.”

Babylon Micro-Farms was recognized in America’s Top GreenTech Companies of 2024 list by TIME, and co-founders Olesen and Graham Smith were featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Olesen and Smith launched Babylon through Darden’s i.Lab Incubator, operated by the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology. The collaboration represents a full-circle moment for the greentech company. 

“We got our start going through the i.Lab Incubator program, and without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” Olesen said.

Olesen and Smith have installed six micro-farms across UVA Grounds, but Abbott’s unit will be the first hydroponic farm installation on North Grounds. Olesen noted that his products reduce food waste by preventing produce loss in the pre-production process.

“We grow food on-site, year-round, meaning that very little of our produce is wasted during transportation and handling,” Olesen said. “Furthermore, we focus on culinary herbs, microgreens and salad greens that are highly perishable and often not suited to spending weeks on a truck.”

Darden’s hospitality team will harvest produce from the micro-farm and incorporate the greens into signature menu items when the micro-farm is up and running.