Do you know our everyday eating habits and food choices can have a major, long-lasting impact on our environment? Food seems simple. Prepare it, serve it, then consume it. But where does the food go if you don’t like it or don’t finish it in time? The trash.
This is the same situation for restaurants. What happens to the wrong orders? Half-eaten plates? They also go in the trash and end up in landfills.
There are plenty of opportunities for this pile-up of food waste to become a bigger problem for restaurants. These are just some examples:
- The physical strength required to take out heavy bags of trashed food may lead to health issues for staff
- The bags could spill or break, creating slippery hazards on the floor
- Too many trips to the dumpster can invite unwanted pests and insects in the kitchen, leading to health and safety issues
The Growing Problem of Food Shortages
Roughly 690 million people globally are undernourished. However, there are signs of progress. The rate of stunting, which refers to children who are too short for their age due to chronic malnutrition, was 33% of children under age five in 2000, but it fell to 21.3% in 2019. If everyone does their part to help address this global crisis, including restaurants, many people as well as our planet itself will benefit.
Ways Restaurants Can Reduce Food Waste
Reducing food waste starts with commitment. Some ways restaurants are currently tackling food insecurity by reducing waste include:
1. Organizing food in fridges by expiration date
Some restaurants place produce and other. items with earlier expiration dates near the front of the fridge to make sure they use them in time. Restaurants can create or print out labels to help organize ingredients in their fridge.
2. Going “stem-to-root”
Instead of throwing away vegetable scraps, restaurants can consider creating a compost bin or include the stems of produce in their dishes. For example, they can use the stalks and skins of fruits and vegetables to create a puree. Another possibility is to use leftover meat and bones to create a delicious soup broth or gravy.
3. Donate excess food
It is always good to give back to the community, especially to help those who do not have enough to eat. Restaurants and chefs can donate their extra food to a food bank or shelter. In addition, they can give away ingredients approaching their expiry dates, preventing them from going in the trash.
4. Monitor/audit waste management plans
Management and employees can monitor the waste-reducing practices they are adopting and make changes if there is no or little progress. For example, is waste mostly coming from the dining room cleaning staff, packaging waste from suppliers, or food scrapings from customers’ plates?
By understanding where the waste is coming from and what results their actions are producing, restaurants will already have 50% of the solution. Staying aware is key to creating and maintaining results in terms of reducing food waste.
5. Add a recycling program
A common rising issue in restaurants is confusion and lack of clarity on how to properly implement a recycling program. Recycling programs can even add to employee satisfaction. Trash is inherently messy, restaurants can partner with waste services providers.
Reducing Food Waste: Beyond Restaurants
The above tips are ways restaurants can be more eco-friendly by reducing food waste and helping to address food insecurity. But they also work on a personal level. Practicing the same tips above can help you live a more sustainable lifestyle!
Related article: How Can We Attain a Sustainable Food System?
At Green Schools Green Future, we teach children sustainable crop production practices such as vertical farming and aquaponics. Students grow produce themselves and run grocery stands to help their local communities. The revenue then goes toward expanding the school. With hands-on learning, students will be equipped with skills to become the green leaders of tomorrow.
Do your part to reduce waste and save the planet. It will take more than one person or one restaurant to fight climate change.
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