Vietnam Airlines Partners with VietHarvest to Donate In-Flight Meals

Vietnam Airlines partners with VietHarvest to donate in-flight meals. (Photo: VNA)

Under this initiative, Vietnam Airlines will donate unused, safe-to-consume dry food items such as cereal bars and snacks. These meals will follow a strict process of collection, inspection, sorting, and separate storage to ensure product quality before being handed over to VietHarvest.

VietHarvest's model has been successfully implemented in various countries, including the UK (UKHarvest), New Zealand (KiwiHarvest), Japan (JapanHarvest), South Africa (SAHarvest), and has received strong support and partnership from major airlines such as Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, and Air New Zealand.

In Vietnam, this model has proven highly effective in partnering with local businesses to collect surplus, high-quality, unused food for redistribution to charities and those in need—from hotels, food suppliers, and supermarket chains to nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Dang Anh Tuan, Head of Communications at Vietnam Airlines, stated:

“We hope this initiative will make a meaningful contribution to environmental protection, reducing food loss and waste, improving global food security, and providing access to safe, quality food for underprivileged communities. Through this program, Vietnam Airlines and VietHarvest aim to create widespread impact and raise public awareness about responsible food consumption as a collective effort to protect the environment. In the near future, Vietnam Airlines will continue to implement eco-friendly activities and pursue sustainable business practices with the goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Jimmy Pham, Co-founder of VietHarvest, emphasized:

“Joining forces with a prestigious airline like Vietnam Airlines allows us to fully leverage VietHarvest’s strengths in rescuing surplus food, contributing toward the United Nations’ sustainable development goals of eradicating hunger and building a culture of sustainable food consumption in Vietnam.”

This partnership highlights the pioneering role of Vietnam Airlines and VietHarvest in transforming aviation operations to reduce waste, address food surplus, and promote sustainable food culture in Vietnam. It also aligns with Vietnam Airlines’ participation in the 2023 “Sustainable Flight Challenge” launched by SkyTeam, with the aim of amplifying globally the positive social impact of such initiatives.

Additional Information

Vietnam Airlines’ Sustainable Development Strategy

As a pioneer on the path toward sustainable development, Vietnam Airlines has launched numerous initiatives to fulfill the government’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

To meet this goal, Vietnam Airlines has established a dedicated Steering Committee and launched a series of sustainability-focused activities. Some notable 2023 initiatives include:

Introducing the PressReader e-newspaper app, helping reduce the use of 35,000 magazines and 64,000 newspapers, saving an estimated 2.3 million tons of fuel annually;

Reclaiming and redistributing unused dry foods and disposable utensils after flights, helping “rescue” over 12 million meals and utensils annually;

Transitioning to eco-friendly materials;

Eliminating 62.8 million single-use plastic bags used for in-flight items each year.

Especially noteworthy, Vietnam Airlines recently completed the “Sustainable Flight Challenge” initiated by SkyTeam. The airline took several actions to protect the environment, including giving passengers recycled bags made from old life vests, offering meals made from sustainable ingredients, and encouraging passengers to bring their own personal items instead of using single-use items onboard.

About VietHarvest

Founded in 2020, VietHarvest is a social enterprise driven by innovation and creativity. It specializes in rescuing surplus but high-quality food and redistributing it to underserved communities throughout Vietnam.

Le Duc Anh-COMM