Sustainability Discovery Tour Addresses Food Waste
Last week, about 60 foodservice folks made the journey to Oregon to participate in the 2nd Annual Northwest Sustainability Discovery Tour. Organized by Truitt Bros. of Salem, Oregon (a sustainable food manufacturer/processor), the event brought together a group of interested operators to see the “best practices” in the Northwest US, a region known for its early and fervent commitment to sustainability.
In addition to focusing in sustainable food systems (including visits to green bean fields during harvest and cherry packers), the audience participated in an interactive discussion about food waste. I co-facilitated this discussion with Babe O’Sullivan of the City of Portland. We found that the top issues facing operators around waste management continue to be 1) how to compost, especially when commercial composting options aren’t available and 2) how to address the issue of single-use disposable ware such as cups and plates.
Of course, we also spoke about source reduction and the critical role it plays at the top of the food waste hierarchy. The participants saw this, more detailed, version of the EPA waste hierarchy and learned why it’s critical to start at the top and move down the pyramid after preventing and reducing as much waste as possibe at the source. We also discussed how food waste tracking and source reduction are two sides of the very same coin.
EPA Detailed Organic Waste Hierarchy
