How to Prevent Wasted Food Through Source Reduction
Everyone creates wasted food, but it is just as simple to not create it. Both businesses and individuals can learn to effectively prevent the flow of wasted food by taking simple steps such as making grocery lists, inventorying supplies, and buying less.
Benefits
· Prevent pollution related to food production, such as fertilizers and pesticides, and save energy associated with growing, preparing, and transporting food.
· Reduce methane emissions from landfills.
· Save money by buying only what is needed and by avoiding disposal costs.
· Save labor costs through more efficient handling, preparation, and storage of food that will actually be used.
What Businesses Can Do
Conduct a Waste Audit
Learn about what flows through your kitchen by measuring the amount, type, and reason for the generation of wasted food. Knowing how much and why wasted food is generated will help to create effective wasted food prevention strategies. It will also help to identify wasted food that is avoided and money saved. This analysis is called a waste audit.
Implement Reduction Habits
Preventing wasted food is a matter of implementing better habits:
· Compare purchasing inventory with customer ordering.
· Modify menus to increase customer satisfaction and prevent and reduce uneaten food.
· Examine production and handling practices to prevent and reduce preparation waste.
· Ensure proper storage techniques.
· Be creative with your kitchen excess. Surplus or excess food can be used in new dishes. For example, stale bread can become croutons; fruit can become a dessert topping; and vegetable trimmings can be used in soups, sauces, and stocks.
· Reduce serving sizes as appropriate and avoid use of garnishes that don’t get eaten.
· For buffet-style service, encourage customers to take only what they will actually eat.
