VIENNA – 9 August 2023 

 Since 2014, UNIDO and EUREST have had a fruitful relationship for the catering of all Vienna-based Organizations (VBOs), delegations and visitors at the Vienna International Centre (VIC).  

As the responsibility of overseeing the catering management at the VIC rests with UNIDO, the Organization together with EUREST continuously work on improving the services. As a result, UNIDO has extended the collaboration with EUREST, one of the largest catering enterprises in Europe and worldwide, for another three years.  

The signed agreement includes various innovative concepts and improvements of the catering services (cafeteria, restaurant, bar, coffee lounges) that will be set up over the coming weeks and months. During the joint signing ceremony on 26 June 2023, UNIDO Director General Gerd Müller underlined that commitments have been agreed to provide sustainable, fair and innovative foodservice solutions based on fair trade principles and equitable supply chains. Director General Müller emphasized: “it is very important to me that the services are provided to the satisfaction of all VBOs and customers, including Permanent Missions and delegates joining the various events from all over the world.”

During an on-site visit of the EUREST catering service premises on 9 August, the Director General was able to gain first-hand insights on the upcoming improvements and discuss how EUREST’s additional investments will be used to further enhance the service quality.  

The discussion focused on three key areas that outline the approach of the two partners to systematically align supply and demand and increase the efficiency and quality of the supply chain with a focus on resource and climate protection.

Seasonal and regional products to reduce transport distances:  

Fresh on-site cooking forms the basis of the EUREST offer, including a varied cuisine for all tastes – from Austrian delicacies to international traditional dishes. Thereby, the offer is based on 90% seasonal and regional products, outlining the efforts in EUREST’s greening process to reduce transport distances, emissions and enhance lead time.  

Sustainability and fair trade as standards: 

EUREST is certified with the Austrian Ecolabel for "Green Meetings and Green Events", demonstrating the commitment to set sustainability and social responsibility as standards. Hence, UNIDO and EUREST are at the forefront of introducing fair trade products as the mainstream. Besides fair trade work uniforms, EUREST and UNIDO have announced that, in addition to the teas, the entire coffee range served at the VIC will be switched to 100% fair trade as of 1 September, 2023.

Circular economy in action to eliminate food waste:  

Through sustainable waste management, EUREST ensures to process food surpluses from the supply chain instead of throwing them away. This prevents the unnecessary disposal of tons of fresh produce. Guided by the circular economy approach and an innovative monitoring system, EUREST aims at reducing food waste at the VIC by 50% by 2030.  

UNIDO and EUREST will continue to work closely to add further products to the range on a demand and to steadily expand the offer, while striving for international, sustainable, fair and innovative foodservice solutions.