Food Waste Intelligence

A shift in terminology could lead to a shift in behavior.

Earlier this month on World Food Day, I participated in the first ever Zero Food Waste Forum, hosted by the Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) in Berkeley, CA. Many were calling it the “Woodstock of Food Waste” and it lived up to the name, bringing together global leaders in food waste prevention and recovery to brainstorm how to solve the senseless conundrum that 40% of our food is wasted in the U.S. while 1 in 6 adults and 1 in 4 children are food insecure at some point during the year.

We’re excited to see the foodservice industry paying much closer attention to food waste than at any time in the last 10 years. In broad terms, food waste management techniques either prevent food waste in the first place or, once it has been created, divert it from a landfill to some other end-of-life use. Prevention is at the top of the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy because it has the best environmental and financial outcomes.

You know what your food cost should be. But how often does it hit the mark exactly? When it misses the target, why did it happen?

Although food waste all looks the same by the time it reaches a compost or waste bin, there are actually two types: pre-consumer waste (such as overproduction, spoilage and trimmings) and post-consumer waste (the food left on guests’ plates after a meal). Most operators have focused more management energy on addressing pre-consumer waste because it’s directly within their control.

This year marks an important milestone for LeanPath: we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary as a company, dedicated to food waste prevention. We’re deeply grateful for our client partners over this decade, a group of innovative and passionate people leading the industry as “waste warriors.” We’ve learned so much from you, the people who actually see and understand this challenge most clearly. You’ve inspired us with your enthusiasm for food waste prevention and your work to transform your operations, your communities, the industry, and even the world.

Now, a flashback to 2004 when we started down the “Lean Path.” For those in college & university dining, you likely still had trays in your all-you-care-to-eat dining halls. For those in healthcare food and nutrition, you probably didn’t have room service for patient feeding. “Wellness” and “sustainability” were not terms heard regularly in most foodservice operations. And one thing we know for certain: food waste wasn’t getting much attention.