Carnival Corporation Marks First Meal Donation in Latin America | News
Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise line, today announced its first donation of surplus meals in Latin America, creating a route for Carnival Cruise Line ships visiting Roatán. The donation of 210 portions of prepared, unserved meals from Carnival Jubilee was given to the Municipality of Roatán for distribution to local partners serving communities in need.
As part of Carnival Corporation’s Less Left Over strategy to reduce food waste, the company’s meal donation program safely redirects surplus, high-quality meals to food insecure port communities where the company’s ships call. With the addition of Roatán, the program has expanded to 18 ports since 2017, delivering more than 320,000 meal servings to global communities since inception, with plans to further expand the model into new markets.
“Expanding our surplus meal donation program to Latin America is an important step in our Less Left Over strategy and an example of how collaboration can transform surplus into support for communities,” said Vicky Rey, vice president of government affairs for Latin America, Carnival Corporation. “This work requires clear processes, strong government collaboration and a shared commitment, and we are extremely grateful to President Asfura for helping to facilitate this first donation so quickly, along with the federal and local leaders who made it possible.”
“This first donation shows what can happen when the right partners come together with a shared purpose,” said Ron McNab, Mayor of Roatán. “Prepared, unserved meals can now be safely transported from ship to shore to support schools, hospitals and community organizations throughout Roatán. We are grateful to Carnival Corporation and Carnival Cruise Line for their help in establishing this program.”
“Excess meal donations start with strict food safety standards and close coordination between our onboard teams and our partners on shore,” said Schalkie Badenhorst, director of food operations, Carnival Cruise Line. “Our team members help make this work possible by identifying the high-quality unserved meals remaining after service and ensuring they are handled and landed in accordance with our food safety requirements.”
The announcement builds on Carnival Corporation’s long-standing presence in Roatán through Isla Tropicale, its cruise destination in Honduras. Isla Tropicale is one of seven exclusive destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, designed for Carnival Corporation guests traveling on one of eight global cruise lines. Since opening in 2009, the destination has represented a total business investment of $93 million, welcomed nearly 9 million visitors and generated approximately $750 million in economic impact. Isla Tropicale supports more than 1,300 local jobs, benefiting suppliers, tour operators, transport providers and others involved in its activities.
Carnival Corporation’s Less Left Over strategy has reduced food waste per person by 47% since 2019, eliminating more than $250 million in excess food costs while continuing to provide award-winning dining experiences to its more than 13.5 million guests. The strategy includes dozens of small and large programs, practices and technologies across world-class cruise lines, designed to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030 (compared to 2019).
