Food Waste Focus

Massachusetts took a step toward reaching its goal of reducing its waste stream by 80% by 2050 today as the Patrick Administration announced the finalization of the statewide commercial food waste disposal ban. The ban, which will take effect on October 1 of this year, requires “any entity that disposes of at least one ton of organic material per week to donate or re-purpose the usable food” according to the official press release. Any remaining food waste must be sent to a composting or animal-feed operation, or an anaerobic digestion facility to convert it to clean energy.

While residents and small businesses are exempt from the new regulations, roughly 1,700 organizations will be affected by the ban, including universities, hotels, hospitals, restaurants, and other foodservice businesses. But the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is not leaving them to fend for themselves, having awarded to grants to the facilities that will handle the organic waste and establishing the “RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts” program that helps businesses and institutions ensure they are complying with the new regulations.

To read the full press release on the food waste ban, click here. If you are a Massachusetts business, or would just like to see answers to common questions about the ban, click here for MassDEP’s guide for businesses, institutions, and haulers.

In case you missed it, PBS NewsHour ran a great piece last weekend on how start-ups and other organizations are helping businesses fight food waste. Entitled Starts-Ups, Organizations Take On America’s Food Waste Challenge, the piece highlighted the food waste crisis and how companies are working to reduce food waste generated at all levels. LeanPath was among those featured, with an interview with Co-Founder and CEO Andrew Shakman as well as a profile of the work we’ve done with Martinsburg Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center.

Barbara Hartman, Chief of Nutrition and Food Service at the VA Medical Center, is the focus of the story, and she describes how the medical center went from sending all of its food waste to landfills to preventing much of that waste in the first place through tracking and composting programs. This combination of reducing food waste at the source by using tracking systems and composting the leftovers has had a very noticeable impact on the organization. Speaking to how LeanPath has helped reduce food costs at the VA Medical Center, Barbara explained, “I conservatively estimate that we save $40,000 to $50,000 a year in food waste.”

Click the link below to watch the full video and learn how LeanPath and other organizations are helping reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills.

The folks at Benedictine University’s Center for Values-Driven Leadership have compiled a nice bit of information on food waste specifically geared towards helping businesses better understand the food waste crisis and what they can do to start addressing it. Included on the webpage are the LeanPath Food Waste Statistics Infographic and an article on how the MGM Grand has reduced food costs by up to $9,000 a month by implementing a food waste tracking system. Head over to the CVDL’s food waste webpage to see these posts and more—you’re sure to find something useful.

For many of us, refrigerators are often taken for granted, despite the fact they are arguably one of the most important appliances in our household. We might not be paying close enough attention to these chow chambers, which can result in prematurely spoiled food and unnecessarily high electricity bills.

To make sure your fridge is operating in tip-top shape, take a look at this useful infographic by PartSelect and Ghergich & Co. It has quite a few tips to making sure your snack shack is organized most effectively and running most efficiently.

Click to enlarge.

According to Innova Market Insights, a product development tracking company, the theme of “Waste not, want not” will sit at the top of the trends list for the food and beverage industry in 2014. This should not come as a surprise, as 2013 presented a major shift towards greater awareness of food waste.

Manufacturers, retailers, and consumers alike were found guilty of contributing to the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted each year around the globe, and Innova is predicting that this will be the year of addressing that waste. And with their track record, it’s likely they’re right: their predictions in 2007 (“Sustainability replaces organic”), 2008 (“Go natural”), and 2012 (“Boom for protein”) all came to fruition and still have an impact on the food and beverage industry today. Add to that a similar prediction from the culinary experts at Campbell’s in their 2014 Campbell Culinary TrendScape Report released last year, and it would seem that there’s no doubt that this year will bring great strides forward in the food waste reduction movement.

Here is the actual prediction from Innova, taken from the press release:

For some time now manufacturers’ sustainability efforts have been zeroed in on, with a more recent shift in focus being to reduce food loss or waste, wherever possible. Food loss during production and food waste at the retailer and consumer end of the food-supply chain will be heavily scrutinized. Ingredients derived from the waste stream will also hold enormous potential.

Read the full press release here to see Innova’s other industry predictions for 2014, which include regaining consumer trust and enjoying simpler foods again.

During the tumultuous times of World Wars I & II, the US government made it very clear that every citizen had a part to play, and the US Food Administration launched campaigns that encouraged US citizens to change their habits surrounding the production and consumption of food. Suddenly, to waste food was to betray the country and all it stood for. The USFA published poster after poster to promote wasting less food, growing home gardens, and eating different types of food so that soldiers could get the food they needed.

While these images were powerful pieces of propaganda in their time, it’s interesting to note how relevant the messaging still is today. There is a clear, engaging and timeless call to action to be more responsible about resources and waste less food. And although we don’t find ourselves in the midst of an international war on the scale of WWI or WWII right now, it’s as important as ever to heed the words in these posters. With one-third of global food never reaching a mouth, the messages in these posters can certainly teach us a thing or two about food conservation. Share the posters below to spread the word, and let’s all work to make 2014 the year of food waste reduction.

Click to enlarge.

Rebecca Molloy, Director of Operations
Rex Smith, Production Manager

Sodexo dining services staff at SUNY Oneonta using LeanPath.

SUNY Oneonta dining services, operated by Sodexo, implemented the LeanPath program in late August 2013, installing three units in three restaurant-style residential dining halls that serve the 3,400 students on the university’s unlimited meal plan. Rebecca Molloy is the Operations Director, overseeing the day-to-day operations in all the foodservice locations around campus, and Rex Smith is the Production Manager, responsible for menus and recipes, forecasts, and food waste analysis. We spoke with both of them about the work they are doing to reduce food waste.

What drove you to start the LeanPath program?
Rebecca:  “Our district manager, Steve O’Reilly, wanted to implement LeanPath across all campuses because he believes it is a great tool to cut food costs. We also wanted a tool to bring more food waste info to light.”

Had you ever tried to track food waste before?
Rebecca:  “We did a little bit of food waste tracking in one of our dining halls before implementing LeanPath by counting and weighing garbage bags filled with food waste. It wasn’t very accurate; it was more of an eyeball estimate.”

What were your expectations for the program?
Rex:  “I thought we would identify some areas of saving waste or reducing our waste, and as we have progressed through these 12 weeks we are definitely seeing a trend in the right direction.”

Have you been able to quantify savings due to waste reduction?
Rex:  “When we started, I found that our waste, at least in the residential dining halls, was roughly four cents per plate. Now it’s down to just over two cents per plate—we’ve reduced it by two cents, which is very significant when you add it up. I think at the peak, the cost of our weekly waste was right around $2,000, and we’re around $1,000 now—we’re saving about $1,000 a week.”

What changes have you seen in terms of culture?
Rex:  “The LeanPath system has improved communication and awareness. Employees really look forward to seeing the results of their efforts. Everyone is on board and likes to contribute to the success of the program. When we have an overproduction issue in one of our stations, before the item becomes waste, the staff members communicate with each other to see where an item can be utilized in another area.”

What is the best part about using the LeanPath System?
Rex:  “The increase in awareness and communication with employees regarding food waste. To see how much they care about reducing waste—that’s been a very positive experience for us.”

Rebecca:  “General increase in awareness of food waste. Most of our waste is post-consumer, but students are aware of us using LeanPath, and both they and our sustainability coordinator are very excited about it.”

What would you say to a chef/manager that is not currently tracking food waste?
Rex:  “If you have some concern about high waste or food cost, give it a shot. LeanPath really involves the employees; it gets them excited. The problem solving that we go through together as a team is part of the success.”

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The year-end holidays usually mean quality time spent with friends and family, a sense of closure for this year and excitement for the next, and a great deal of delicious food. For our colleagues in the foodservice industry, they also mean that daily operation probably won’t be quite “business as usual.” Check out our offerings below to see if any of them can help you keep food waste to a minimum in the upcoming weeks.

The “Holiday Bubble”

A lot of people go home for the holidays. Students leave university to be with their family, hospital cafeterias see less traffic, and hotels don’t have quite their usual number of guests visiting their restaurants or buffets. This drop in attendance can lead to what I like to call “the holiday bubble.” Basically, this refers to the disparity over the holidays between how much food is produced and how much food is eaten; it results from normal production levels and below-average attendance levels during the holidays.

To combat the holiday bubble, consider adjusting normal production levels to account for the inevitable drop in customers that you’ll experience over the holidays. If you have the information, take a look at past years to get a sense of what to expect this time around, so that you’re not guessing when adjusting your output and menus. And to deal with the leftover food that might occur anyway, try to have a destination in mind for it that’s not the trashcan. There are many opportunities to donate food during the holidays, and if that doesn’t work for you, do your best to compost it.

Reuse Opportunities

Certain holiday staples, especially desserts, are just waiting to help you reuse some of those ingredients you’ve had laying around for a while. Dairy products that are close to their “sell-by” or “use-by” date are great for baking anything from cheesecake to flan. Fruit that you’d rather not put on display by itself because of blemishes lends itself to fillings, toppings, and cakes. Vegetables like carrots and zucchinis can be a key component of a festive bread.

If you have the option, an additional idea is to sell baked goods whole. This can help generate some extra revenue and use up older ingredients, and might make someone’s day when you provide them with a last-minute dish to take to that holiday gathering later.