Food Waste Focus

Whats more likely to attract positive attention when outsiders tour through a kitchen: a compost bin filled with todays leftovers or an empty speed rack in a walk-in? In most all cases the compost bin steals the show. But the empty shelf actually has a much bigger story to tell.
In fact, food waste prevention ranks [...]

We hear a lot about ‘green’ everything these days – from green buildings to green kitchens to green menus. What exactly is a ‘green meeting‘ and how do you create one?
A green meeting is one that: “through sustainable practices and taking environmental considerations throughout all stages of a meeting, will minimize the negative [...]

AASHE, the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education just released Version 1.0 of their STARS Rating System (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System).  You can read all about it at http://www.aashe.org/stars/index.php. Â
It’s great to see this standard has a section that gives points for dining services composting and food donation programs.  It also offers points [...]

This a great article done by the folks at CNet (http://www.cnet.com).  A public utility in the San Francisco-Oakland bay area is looking at new ways to convert food waste to usable energy.  there are a lot of restaurants and foodservice operations in their local area.  Collecting this food waste and converting it to energy, capturing [...]

Voters in the City of Seattle appear to have rejected a proposal for a 20 cent fee on all plastic and paper carry out bags.   While this doesn’t pertain directly to food waste, any foodservice operator offering take-out food products needs to pay attention to trends related to paper and plastic carry-out bags.Â
Given Seattle’s leadership [...]

The UK Government just released a series of reports called Food 2030 that were prepared by the Department for the Environment,  Food & Rural Affairs.
They focus on a range of food security issues, but target food waste as a major problem, noting:
Reducing food waste has the potential to cut carbon emissions equal to taking a [...]

As a follow-up to my recent summary on the environmental profile of garbage disposers, I wanted to share news from the South Bayside System Authority.  This agency provides wastewater treatment services to a good chunk of the San Francisco Peninsula in California.Â
Interestingly, they have concluded that use of garbage disposers  to handle food waste provides “positive [...]

Long ago, many restaurants and foodservice operations collected food in “pig buckets” and sent it to nearby swine farms to feed the animals.
However, the Swine Health Protection Act (SHPA) was passed by Congress in 1980.  The act regulates any food waste containing meat that is served to swine:
In accordance with the SHPA and Federal regulations, food [...]

Restaurant Associates announced this week a new set of Green Dining Best Practices that were developed in conjunction with the Environmental Defense Fund.  You can read the press release or jump through right to the recommendation summary or the details on waste minimization. Â
They have the right concept by focusing on source reduction as a key strategy!

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has been developing a sustainability self-rating tool for colleges and universities called the Sustainablity Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).  It includes credits for dining services and waste management.
AASHE just released a report on the STARS Pilot Test.   This report found that, of the [...]