Every year, the world discards approximately 1.4 billion tonnes of food. The statistics might stun you. Yes, an estimated 30-40% of the total food supply and over 80 billion pounds of food is wasted or thrown by Americans each year.
Food businesses, such as restaurants, play a significant role in skyrocketing these figures and propelling the United States to the top of the food waste category list. This enormous amount of food waste not only has a negative impact on the environment, but it may also result in significant revenue losses for food businesses. As a result, it's critical for restaurants to take the necessary steps and preventive measures to reduce food waste and ensure smooth running of business.
If you’re a restaurant owner looking out for ways to reduce food wastage in your establishment, we’ve got you covered. Read on to find out what causes food waste in restaurants and a few pointers to help you protect your business from losses and permanent closure due to food waste.
When it comes to restaurant businesses, several different factors significantly contribute to food waste. Some of these most common food wastage factors include:
When it comes to food wastage reduction, here are a few things that every restaurant should be following as a matter of course during the shift, to ensure the prevention of food from wastage, without fail.
Creating a food waste tracker is one of the best and most effective ways to reduce food waste in restaurant businesses. Once you've obtained a tracker, begin accounting for all back-of-house and front-of-house food waste in your restaurant over a specified time period. Include the amount of each item, how and when it was wasted, and the name of the staff member who brought it to your attention. Keeping track of food waste through an audit will enable you in taking the necessary steps to prevent food from spoilage and wastage.
Managing stock inventory can be a tough task, especially if you own a large restaurant. But, designating a few staff members to take inventory by hand or POS systems on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis will help you track and reduce food waste. Even though POS systems are great for order planning, data forecasting, and order reports, manually tracking inventory ensures that ingredients aren't over-ordered.
To reduce food wastage, it’s recommended that you only purchase ingredients that you’re sure your business will use. It may appear tempting to stock up on items or buy in bulk at discounted prices, but doing so can leave you with excess inventory that you don't require. And if these items aren't used before the expiration date, they will spoil and go to waste.
Check that your freezers and refrigerators are set to safe temperatures to ensure that foods are stored properly. It not only preserves their quality but also keeps bacteria at bay. This is why low-risk foods should be stored on higher shelves than high-risk foods. Furthermore, keep the food storage areas clean and tidy.
When storing foods in containers, remember to label them with allergens, 'use-by' dates, and labels. Maintaining proper stock organization and labeling makes it much easier to keep track of stock and use 'soon to expire' items first. This eliminates room for error and allows you to reduce food waste in your restaurant.
Restaurants can significantly reduce food spoilage and make the business more eco-friendly, as well as, profitable by using the FIFO (First In, First Out) method. To ensure that your restaurant’s kitchen is FIFO compliant, make sure that you organize each item on shelves in such a way that the oldest items are used first.
One of the most effective ways to reduce leftovers and waste is to control portion size. Although most restaurants believe that serving large portions of food is a service to customers, the truth is that the excess food is discarded.This is why restaurants must standardize portion sizes for each menu item and serve the appropriate portions on a consistent basis.
It's always preferable to compost kitchen waste rather than dispose it in the garbage can. While it may sometimes seem complicated, it's one of the most effective ways to reduce waste in landfills. You can significantly reduce waste by incorporating recycling and composting into your restaurant business model. If your establishment doesn't have a garden, consider giving it away to gardeners or local farmers.
Food waste reduction in commercial kitchens may appear daunting at first, but once you and your team get the hang of it, it becomes part of the routine. Now that you've learned the best practices for reducing food waste, consider implementing them in your restaurant. If you have any leftovers, you can provide free meals to your employees or donate food to a charity. Remember that throwing food in the trash serves no purpose and only harms your business and the environment. Make it a goal to save it because it’s critical to the success of your company.
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