Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise operator comprising eight distinct cruise lines, has expanded its prepared meal donation program into Latin America for the first time. The initiative now includes Mexico, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, extending the company’s food sustainability and community support efforts to new regions.
The meal donation program redirects surplus prepared but unserved meals from Carnival’s ships to local partners for redistribution to families and communities experiencing food insecurity. This initiative forms part of Carnival Corporation’s broader Less Left Over strategy, designed to minimize food waste by repurposing high-quality surplus meals in a way that benefits local populations.
With the addition of three new ports, the program now operates in 19 destinations worldwide. In Mexico, Carnival Corporation has formalized a partnership with Bancos de Alimentos de México (Red BAMX) to facilitate distribution in ports visited by Carnival Cruise Line ships, beginning with Ensenada and later expanding to additional Mexican ports. In Honduras, the company entered into an agreement with Mayor Ron McNab of Roatán, while in the Dominican Republic, partnerships were established with the Catholic Diocese of Puerto Plata and Banco de Alimentos República Dominicana.
According to Vicky Rey, vice president of government affairs for Latin America at Carnival Corporation, the expansion represents a continuation of the company’s commitment to the communities that host its vessels. She explained that the program aims to provide nutritious, ready-to-eat meals to families and children who might otherwise go without, emphasizing gratitude for the cooperation of regional partners in making the effort possible.
The food donation initiative was first launched in 2017 under Carnival’s Costa Cruises brand and has since been implemented across multiple cruise lines within the corporation. To date, the program has contributed more than 300,000 surplus meals to communities around the world.