Food Waste Focus Blog

LeanPath was invited to particpate and present at the 2016 WasteExpo event in June, a conference and tradeshow showcasing the latest in innovation in the waste management sector. Todd Pendexter, Business Development Manager at LeanPath, represented the food waste prevention sphere at the conference, speaking on trends and technology for reducing food waste in foodservice operations.

We all know that controlling costs is critical to running a successful business, especially in foodservice. Recently the cost of labor has been top-of-mind, as various pieces of legislation take effect to raise the minimum wage in certain parts of the United States. How to react to this challenge? After years of optimizing labor, operators have few opportunities to reduce labor without damaging their business in fundamental ways. Raising menu prices to offset the increases isn’t often viable, nor will it please customers. So what can foodservice operators do to manage the adverse impact of rising labor costs?

A recent study on awareness and attitudes around food waste in the United States has yielded some interesting findings. The study, conducted by Danyi Qi and Brian Roe of Ohio State University, shows that while awareness around the food waste crisis is growing, there is a significant discrepancy among how people perceive their role in fighting food waste. The survey focuses on consumer attitudes of household food waste, but unsurprisingly, many of the findings parallel similar issues we encounter in the commercial foodservice industry. What the study makes clear is that changing individuals’ behavior on a large scale is the key to widespread and sustainable food waste reduction.

One of our core beliefs at LeanPath is that we manage what we measure. It’s at the heart of our mission of making food waste prevention easy: measurement leads to understanding which leads to prevention. When LeanPath was founded in 2004, the concept of measuring food waste was largely a foreign one in many kitchens—that’s why we’re especially excited that last month, the Food Loss & Waste Protocol launched the Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting (FLW) Standard, a first-of-its-kind framework designed to help organizations, nations, regions and other entities around the world report on food loss and waste. 

As the food waste movement continues to grow, more and more people around the world understand just how pressing the issue of wasted food is. From consumers, to foodservice managers, to chefs and beyond, everyone has a role to play in reducing food waste and loss along the supply chain.