Carnival Expands Meal Donation Program Into Latin America

Carnival Corporation has signed a series of landmark memoranda of understanding with food banks and community partners in Mexico, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, marking the first time its meal donation program will operate in Latin America.

According to a company press release, Carnival is the first cruise operator to formalize agreements of this kind in the region. The food banks involved are part of the Global FoodBanking Network.

The program focuses on redistributing high-quality, unserved meals from Carnival ships to communities in need. It forms part of the company’s Less Left Over strategy, which aims to cut food waste while tackling food insecurity in cruise destinations. With the addition of these three ports, the initiative now covers 19 destinations worldwide.

“Expanding our meal donation program into Latin America is an important step in giving back to the amazing ports and destinations that warmly welcome our guests into their communities and make their visits so memorable,” said Vicky Rey, vice president of government affairs for Latin America at Carnival Corporation.

“Our goal is to help feed families and children who may not have a hot meal to eat every day by donating healthy and delicious meals we prepared but did not serve onboard. We’re grateful to our partners in Mexico, Honduras and the Dominican Republic who helped make this possible,” Rey added.

In Mexico, a pilot program will begin in Ensenada before expanding to additional Carnival ports in partnership with local food banks.

In Honduras, surplus meals and ingredients from Carnival ships will be distributed to schools, hospitals, and community organizations across Roatán.

In the Dominican Republic, the initiative will reach schools, hospitals, and community groups in Puerto Plata, with support from local food banks to ensure smooth distribution.

Since its launch, Carnival’s donation program has already provided over 300,000 meals to communities in Spain, Italy, France, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, and the company plans further global expansion.