More about food waste in restaurants Galya Boyanova Finding ways to reduce food waste has a variety of benefits. It keeps food out of landfill, means there is ultimately less of a market demand for more food, and can help save money. And according to a recent study, investing in reducing food waste can actually help restaurants to make significantly more money.
Food waste in restaurants: Problems and solutions Prep. Serve. Consume. Restaurant operations seem simple enough. After all, it’s just food, right? But where does it go when you don’t like it? What happens to the wrong orders? Half-finished plates? Ageing ingredients? It’s simple, and you already know the answer. It goes in the trash. This protocol is upheld in the interests of consumer health. And yet, this etiquette has led to a massive oversight in consumption and waste patterns. The chaos of a full restaurant, matched with the logistical nightmare of preparing for a “rush”, has created an abundant waste problem – one with a 161 billion price tag.
Harmful habits with a big impact At present, the USA wastes 40% of its food each year. Not only does this create an enormous ethical dilemma, it is also extremely expensive. The resources that are poured into food production and transportation are being lost on wasteful habits. If all the work of growing, harvesting, labour and transportation is lost to waste, then so too are the resources that enable the production in the first place. What’s more, food produces harmful greenhouse gases. Landfills are overflowing with rotting food, which releases methane into the atmosphere. Food waste in restaurants has created an environmental disaster – one that will take diligence and commitment to resolve. If 40% of the food in the USA is wasted, then surely Americans are overfed and healthy? Wrong. This is where food waste becomes shameful. What about the hungry and the homeless? America has a food waste problem, but it also, ironically, has a hunger problem. Food insecurity affects many, as they have no reliable source of food. So how have we come to the point where excess food is being tossed out, and hungry mouths are going unfed? It comes down to habits.
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