A recent study in Loveland, Texas highlights just how much food is left uneaten in K-12 environments. At three local elementary schools it was found that 25% of food goes in the trash. Fruits and vegetables comprise about 50% of this waste.

Usually this is where plate waste studies stop but the Loveland school district took the investigation one step further. Comparative analysis revealed that there was a lot less waste at one of the elementary schools. At this particular school the recess break period occurs before lunch. This simple schedule variation dramatically increases the amount of fruits, vegetables, and milk that are consumed, thereby decreasing food waste.

Food waste can seem like a daunting issue but through tracking, measurement, and analysis it’s possible to identify key trends and devise effective solutions. From simple solutions, like adjusting the schedule, to food waste tracking systems, there are a variety of ways to prevent and minimize food waste.

In a recent article by CNBC this issue was discussed as it pertains to energy consumption in the U.S. From 1997 to 2002 80% of the increase in the U.S. annual energy consumption can be attributed to food. A huge portion of our energy pie, 16% to be exact, is allocated to food production. This energy is used to fuel tractors, ship refrigerated goods, and power food processors.

So what you might ask are the answers? The first and foremost is source reduction. We throw away an astounding amount of food on an annual basis. In the U.S. 40% of food purchases end up as waste. If we could avoid throwing this food in the trash we would hypothetically decrease the total U.S. energy consumption by 6%. This is a huge number in light of the numerous political, economic, and environmental issues that surround energy production.

Source reduction can be difficult to achieve. At home a carefully planned menu can go a long ways. In a large foodservice venue, such as a hospital or casino, different tools are needed. In these establishments food waste tracking systems, such as the solutions provided by LeanPath, can yield a 50% or more reduction in waste.

Another important but sometimes forgotten part of source reduction is dollars and cents. Reducing the total volume of food waste generated yields significant savings. Preventing food waste at the source not only decreases energy consumption but also has a positive impact on the bottom line.

Beyond food waste prevention, purchasing local products and using less technology to process food are other strategies that will have an impact on reducing the energy footprint of food.

At the end of the day we should think carefully about how we use food. In some ways we pay multiple times for the same product. In addition to the bill at the grocery store we pay for food through taxes that subsidize energy production and agriculture. Next time you walk by the trash can and see wasted food visualize the dollars that will be lost forever in the landfill.

How has Iowa Health tackled source reduction of food waste?

By implementing automated food waste tracking systems from LeanPath, recording pre-consumer food waste data every day.  Iowa Health uses this data to tighten menus, production procedures and purchasing, thereby minimizing and preventing as much food waste as possible.

Iowa Health just published a case study in their in-house magazine titled Hospital Chefs Trimming Costs at the Cutting Board.   Read the article to learn how high volume foodservice operators can make a significant dent in food waste by tracking food waste as a regular, ongoing part of their business.

Why should we care about food waste? For starters, it’s expensive. Citing various studies, including one at the University of Arizona called the Garbage Project that tracked home food waste for three decades, [Author Jonathan] Bloom estimates that as much as 25 percent of the food we bring into our homes is wasted. So a family of four that spends $175 a week on groceries squanders more than $40 worth of food each week and $2,275 a year.

While food waste issues are quite different in high volume commercial operations, some of the solutions are the same:  don’t buy more than you need, rotate inventory, use older items before new ones; manage production to meet actual demand.

Read the full NYT piece here.

Titled “Food Waste Prevention Case Study:  Intel Corporation’s Cafes“, the study reports on Bon Appetit Management Company’s use of LeanPath food waste tracking tools to prevent and minimize food waste at two Intel Cafes in Oregon.

The results were impressive:  47% reduction in food waste, over 10% savings in food cost per meal, all while avoiding approximately 100 metric tons of greenhouse gas equivalents.  This was accomplished by implementing daily, automated food waste tracking and engaging a team of employees (plus the chefs) to look at the data and set goals for improvement.

This kind of savings is available to most every foodservice operator – it just requires a little bit of start-up effort to yield outsized gains.

Read the case study here.

The new changes include:

• revisions to the food waste recovery hierarchy to clarify the placement of Anaerobic Digesters (they live in the composting tier of the hierarchy),
• additional resources and links
• clarification on Good Samaritan Laws about food waste donation.

I recommend this site as a regular stop for foodservice operators, foodservice consultants, and other industry participants.  If you have never been, or haven’t seen the new updates, make a point to visit!

With ValuWaste Advantage 4, operators now have the ability to create Comparison Reports that contrast the most recently completed weeks food waste against a previous week, a previous menu cycle or a custom time period. These exciting recent additions show specifically which food categories, loss reasons and even stations were “higher” in the previous cycle. This gives you information to work with your team to improve those results the next time.

Enlarge Report | Learn More About ValuWaste Advantage

Veteran LeanPath clients use Comparison Reports to catch “spikes” in the data. They then use this information to immediately focus attention on the “spike” and work with the team to create an action plan to avoid it happening again.

Comparison reports are also used by LeanPath clients to monitor progress on waste reduction goals. Working on a goal to reduce “casserole” waste by 50%? Use a Comparison Report each week to check your progress on this goal vs. the previous week. Things moving in the right direction? Celebrate success with the team, document the Best Practices and keep working on it. Little or no change? Use the data to share with the team and test new actions until you see improvement.

This link will take you to the presentation for “Food Waste Tracking: What you need to know“:  http://www.leanpath.com/docs/LeanPath_NRA_Food_Waste_Tracking.pdf

Next week will post the last of the three presentations.

From the study:

The calculated progressive increase of food waste suggests that the US obesity epidemic has been the result of a ‘‘push effect’’ of increased food availability and marketing with Americans being unable to match their food intake with the increased supply of cheap, readily available food. Thus, addressing the oversupply of food energy in the US may help curb the obesity epidemic as well as decrease food waste, which has profound environmental consequences.

After looking at how much total food was produced in the U.S., and how much was converted metabolically into weight gain, the researchers were able to determine how much food was leftover as waste (based on calories produced).

The figure was 40%.

This is a big number – it represents massive resource consumption, great inefficiency, and environmental loss. 

For chefs and managers, what is the takeaway?

That we have a food system producing tons of food we don’t use in America and - if operators could waste less by tracking food waste and preventing it - we would have more food dollars available to invest in quality and variety.   Moreover, the availability of excess food may be a contributor to the obesity epidemic in America.

For so many reasons, working to prevent and minimize food waste is the right approach!

Customers Demand More Information. Customers have been clamoring to understand their food better in recent years: Where did it come from? Who grew it? Is it safe? These customers expect transparency around food. This attitude will expand beyond food sourcing into the waste arena. Some customers now ask whether a restaurant composts its food waste and reuses its oil for bio-diesel. They want to know that the waste, which they have helped to create, will be handled responsibly. Expect more questions and expectations of transparency and responsibility around waste handling in the future.

Regulations Exclude Food Waste from Landfills. More municipalities will strive to eliminate organics from landfills due to their greenhouse gas emissions. These regulators will create new requirements that may effectively prevent food waste from going to many landfills. This will force operators and their haulers to develop more diversion alternatives.

Regulations Prevent use of Non-Compostable and Non-Recyclable Disposables. Following the lead of Seattle, regulators may prevent use of non-compostable and non-recyclable disposable packaging.

Waste to Energy Plants. Food waste can be converted to high-value energy by digesting waste and creating methane. Expect to see new digestion plants to digest food waste directly (not from the waste water system) at a commercial scale to produce energy.

Closing Thoughts

The learning required to succeed on the new frontier of waste management may frustrate operators and test their patience at times. Yet the payoff will be large enough to more than justify the investment. There is arguably no more compelling or significant opportunity in foodservice today than working to mange waste more efficiently. This represents a chance to improve the bottom line while making a meaningful difference environmentally. It’s a high-leverage opportunity and deserves the focus and commitment of our industry.

You can access the full article in the December issue of Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Magazine

Article: “Redefining Foodservice Waste Management:  What’s Next.”