Food Waste Focus

  This fall Cal Dining launched a food waste prevention project in conjunction with Stop Waste. Using LeanPath systems Cal Dining has seen a significant reduction in waste. By the end of fall semester they achieved a 35% reduction in pre-consumer (kitchen) food waste According to Associate Director of Residential Dining, Chuck Davies “Once you [...]

Gonzaga Dining just launched the LeanPath program in July. Using LeanPath Zag Dining plans to keep food waste out the landfill and save money in the process. They even produced a video that shows employees learning about the program. This summer the LeanPath system has been embraced by a number of universities throughout the country. [...]

Food waste is a concern for every foodservice operation. In the U.S. approximately 40% of food is wasted between the farm and the plate. Wasted food is especially troubling in K-12 operations because this means that children are missing key nutritional opportunities, well contributing to overflowing landfills. A recent study in Loveland, Texas highlights just [...]

There were two interesting articles published today in Iowa about foodservice operators using automated food waste tracking systems (from LeanPath) to minimize food waste and lower food costs. Lori Anderson from Iowa Health St. Luke’s Hospital noted in the Des Moines Register: “It was unbelievable the amount of food that was wasted. It might be [...]

Food waste is a global issue. From rising food costs to famine, what we do with food is a central concern in the 21st century. In the U.S. 40% of food ends up as waste. This is a huge statistic in light of the growing pressures to feed 6.8 billion people on one tiny planet [...]

Foodservice consultant and author Karen Malody (of Culinary Options in Seattle, Washington) recently published two excellent articles full of tips and ideas for foodservice operators about food waste reduction.   Malody argues that the first step towards food waste reduction involves strategic menu design.  It is definitely possible to design a successful menu which is also streamlined to [...]

Over the past few years the concept of trayless dining has swept across the nation. The majority of the foodservice venues that go trayless are college and universities with all-you-care-to-eat dining operations. The simple act of removing the tray prevents countless pounds of food waste and other environmental impacts as students grab only what they [...]

The Iowa Health System is back in the news with this TV news story on KCCI-TV Des Moines. The story explains how Iowa Health has used automated food waste tracking systems to reduce food waste significantly. This story supports a core principal of waste management:  prevention and minimization should be our top priorities.  To achieve [...]

The Iowa Health System, which cares for 2.5 million patients each year,  has been working to prevent and minimize food waste at healthcare sites across the state of Iowa.  They started over three years ago, in 2008, and have grown the effort to six hospitals spanning the state. How has Iowa Health tackled source reduction [...]

Toque Magazine, an online resource for culinary professionals focused on “what’s happening in the kitchen,”  just published a good overview article on food waste. The author is journalist Laurie Wiegler and the piece is titled “Whittling Away at Food Waste.“   It covers a range of contributing factors that cause food waste in restaurants.  It also [...]