Food Waste Focus

Jill Scott is the Assistant Director of Food Services at Ohio Health’s Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio where she has served for four years. She previously was with Ohio State University in the Hospitality Management Program and in Campus Dining Services.
Initial Expectations
The team at Riverside has been using the LeanPath system since June 2009. [...]

How do you know that you’re focusing on the right waste management priorities? Want to be greener and wondering how to get there? Can’t afford to lose any time and need the biggest win for limited dollars?
To answer these questions, you don’t need to start from scratch. Operators should check out a new class of [...]

Exciting News!  Martinsburg VA Medical Center (West Virginia) (a LeanPath customer), has achieved the honor and distinction of becoming a VA Sustainability Achievement Award winner.  They won the award for their Waste Watcher Program – which includes daily, electronic food waste tracking.
VA Senior Sustainability Officer James M. Sullivan praised staff as “an [...]

What is “Utilization”?
When chefs talk about “utilization”, they’re usually referring to finding a “profitable or practical use” for the food they purchase.
The most obvious use is within the menu item for which the food was purchased. But often there is more food purchased than ultimately is [...]

Recently we have run across a few interesting blogs about school children and food waste.  What are our children learning about food waste?  What is the outcome?  Will it help them to develop lifelong habits?
LeanPath has been in contact with a class from East Academy in Tennessee.  A group of kids there have started a [...]

Just a quick post to let everyone know that you can now get LeanPath and ValuWaste merchandise for your operations.  Many of you have asked about purchasing different items to give out as reward and recognition awards for the staff.
Please feel free to visit this site anytime:  http://shop.cafepress.com/leanpath
All merchandise has either the LeanPath or ValuWaste [...]

How to Reduce Catering Food Waste – Part 1 of 3
Catering orders typically increase during the holiday season, making this the perfect time to focus on reducing catering food waste. Changes you make now will benefit your operation year-round, especially as catering growth returns in 2010. Whether you offer buffet, banquet, off-premise, or drop-off services, [...]

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LeanPath coaches speak with clients on a regular basis.  Often we learn new information that can help others reduce waste and we like to share those Hints and Tips with you:
 Avoiding Pastry Waste:

Who’s placing the order? Put ordering in the hands of the front-line manager or Chef. Some facilities put the ordering in the hands of purchasing [...]

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LeanPath coaches speak with clients on a regular basis.  Often we learn new information that can help others reduce waste and we like to share those Hints and Tips with you:
 Avoiding Casserole Waste:

Review popularity on a regular basis, adjust par levels and adjust cycle menus.  If your tracking shows that waste is high on a certain type, consider making a [...]

When it comes to volume foodservice operations, chefs and managers often have to do a lot of math.  They need to scale recipes up and down, convert weights to volumes, and calculate yields (as-purchased to edible-portions). �
They need to get the calculations right or risk a culinary disaster due to over/under production, over/under purchasing or quality problems.
Bryan  Bowers, [...]