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There are numerous moving pieces in a food service operation. Additionally, the issue of how to minimize food waste in restaurants is one that is frequently disregarded,
understanding the two forms of food waste you’ll come across is the first step in learning how to reduce the quantity of food waste in restaurants.
How do you manage food waste in restaurants?
All of the merchandise that is wasted in your restaurant before it even reaches your customers is referred to as pre-consumer waste.
Post-Consumer Waste however, is by far the largest form of food waste, this comprises any food that is discarded after it is delivered to your customers.
In your restaurant, customers regularly leave 17% of their food unfinished, and of those leftovers, more than half are left on the table.
To help manage the issue of food waste in restaurants, discovering the source of your waste is the first step in learning how to reduce food waste in restaurants.
The ideal method to do this is to make a food waste tracker, which may be as easy as a sheet of paper on a hard copy, to keep track of all of your front- and back-of-house food waste during a specified time period, like a week.
Next, you should be able to determine where your food waste is coming from by comparing data from your food waste tracker with information from your POS system’s inventory reports.
Also, priority should be given to harmonizing food production with demand in order to lessen the issue of food waste.
The first step is to reduce the amount of natural resources used to produce food. Tools for risk management can be used in lodging, dining, and the foodservice sector.
Such a technology will help to ensure that chefs and supervisors only prepare food in response to customer orders or demand. Food waste has always occurred when vast quantities of food are produced.
Therefore, hotels and the entire foodservice sector should work on the production of small batches or use the cook-to-order option in an effort to save food, labor, and money.
Another strategy is to focus on creating productive technologies and systems that enhance the processes of harvesting, storing, processing, and distributing goods.
The first step in delivering or distributing more food where there is a demand and limiting supply where there is an excess of food can be redistribution.
Governments and NGOs should also work to improve harvesting, storage, and processing by offering subsidies and providing education on better production techniques, especially in developing nations.
In order to lessen the food footprint, supermarkets, retail food establishments, large restaurants, and individual customers can all cooperate together.
Individual consumers, for example, can reduce their food footprint by not always prioritizing the highest food quality.
Occasionally, even unsightly or imperfect food items are still edible or can be bought and used to prepare dishes like soups. To avoid food waste, over-merchandising can also be minimized.
The use of meal plans when cooking can significantly reduce food waste. To reduce the amount of food that is wasted due to expiration after lengthy storage periods, consumers should only purchase food in accordance with their plans or in small batches.
Although there are existing efforts to recycle food, the technologies and procedures could be improved.
For example, starch-rich foods like crisps, bread, cookies, and breakfast cereals can be recycled into premium animal feed.
Recycling the materials used in food packaging can help stop the overuse of virgin materials.
Even if it is completely unfit for human consumption, it can still be recycled for other purposes rather than being dumped in a landfill where it will release methane gas.
Food waste prevention techniques can be developed by farmers, fishers, retailers, food processors, individual consumers, and local and federal governments with the aid of campaigns to reduce food footprint.
Conclusion
Managing kitchen waste helps clean your environment. By emphasizing the slogan “Think Eat Save – Reduce Your Foodprint,” the UN and FAO have already started such a campaign.
Furthermore, as these initiatives proliferate, the general public will be educated on ways to reduce environmental effects and learn the truth about it. In the end, it will help to address the issue of food waste.
