This book was developed by Green Seal, the well-known non-profit organization which develops science-based standards to certify green claims.

In 2009, Green Seal released GS-46, a standard for the foodservice and restaurant industry which summarized many practices related to food waste management.  I was a member of the technical advisory committee for this standard.  The final result was very comprehensive and benefited from a transparent, ISO-certified development process which invited comments from a broad range of stakeholders.

The new Green Seal book is a unique resource on foodservice sustainability.  It builds on the foundation of GS-46 and offers information on the full-gamut of foodservice sustainability topics in more detail and with greater scope than has been available previously.  I was honored to contribute the chapter on food waste management and believe it represents the most complete summary of my perspectives on this topic that I have prepared to-date.

Foodservice professionals with an interest in sustainability – and food waste – will want to learn more about this book by visiting the publisher’s web site.

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, the production manager with ARAMARK  at Bayhealth Kent General Hospital in Dover, Delaware recently recommened the following site for unit-of-measure conversions:  check it out and see how a simple, free web resource like this can help you improve your accuracy versus hand-held calculations.

Another important resource is the Book of Yields.  This incredibly handy reference book includes information on most weight-to-volume conversions and other factors effecting yields.  You can find it online.

Get the Book of Yields and a good web conversion tool and you will be on your way to greater accuracy.  Or better yet:  invest in an automated food production system PLUS a food waste tracking system from LeanPath.

Getting your math right with recipe scaling, purchasing, and yield calculations will really help you avoid food waste!

The true cost of what the global food industry throws away. The world thinks it has a huge food problem—with dire shortages, environmental degradation, and nearly one billion people going hungry. But Tristram Stuart reveals some surprisingly painless solutions in this frontline investigation and personal journey into one of the world’s most pressing environmental and social problems. In Waste, Stuart points out that farmers, manufacturers, supermarkets, and consumers in North America and Europe discard between 30 and 50 percent of their food supplies—enough to feed all the world’s hungry three times over. Forests are destroyed and nearly one tenth of the West’s greenhouse gas emissions are released in growing food that will never be eaten. Introducing us to a motley cast of foraging pigs, potato farmers, food industry CEOs, and freegan cooks, and traveling from China to New York, from Pakistan to Japan, Stuart encounters grotesque examples of profligacy but also inspiring innovations. The result is essential reading for anyone keen to understand how our waste has created a global food crisis. 8 pages of illustrations.