Stopping food waste

With 3.6 million tonnes of food being wasted by the food industry each year in the UK, and with more than two million tonnes of that still being edible, now is the time to make a change and positively impact our environment says food safety expert, argues Ben Gardner (pictured), CEO of Navitas Safety (food safety provider to the likes of Deliveroo, Five Guys and Tesco).

GLOBAL CHALLENGE

The global food waste issue is one that resonates with people everywhere. From hotels and restaurants through to the general public, sustainability is now at the forefront of everyone’s minds, particularly following last year’s supermarket shelves shortages (during the pandemic), and the release of impactful Netflix documentaries such as Seaspiracy and Down To Earth with Zac Efron. However, the food and hospitality industries in particular can do a lot to reduce food waste and in the process help promote a circular food economy.

In the UK, 8.4 million people are struggling to eat due to financial hardship, so not only is the amount of food wasted each year hugely damaging to the environment, it could go towards feeding those in need first. In doing so, this would reduce food waste as well as contribute to a reduction in the number of people going hungry.

It is time for restaurants, hotels and the entire food and beverage industry to monitor and forecast stocks more efficiently in order to make a change.

Restaurants alone contribute almost 200,000 tonnes of food waste each year, which consequently costs businesses around £682 million each year. Although the largest amount of waste comes from agricultural and household means, the hospitality and food industries must also do their bit.

It must also be said that some waste in food is inevitable, and WRAP studies suggest that around 26% of all restaurant food waste cannot be avoided. However, between 50-80% of food is still being wasted and there is a lot of work still to be done.

REDUCING FOOD WASTE

There are several reasons food is wasted. However, each can be prevented to some extent.

Preparation, customer leftovers and overproduction are just some of the leading causes of food waste within food industries. At times, it can be difficult to know just how much food can be needed, resulting in more being prepared than is actually required.

Unsurprisingly, due to its need to remain fresh, potatoes, fruit and vegetables are recognised as the most wasted products with almost 50% of food waste in restaurants coming from these products.