As Leanpath's full time Executive Chef, I've trained and coached hundreds of chefs and managers on preventing food waste in their operations. One of the most persistent issues is also one of the most avoidable: food waste from items expiring in storage. Avoiding this waste takes establishing and following strict processes to ensure everything in storage is used before it can expire. Here are three questions to ask yourself or your team to find out how effective your kitchen is at avoiding expired food waste.
Robb White, CEC CCA AAC; Executive Chef & Food Waste Prevention Catalyst
Recent Posts
3 food waste questions to address expiration issues
Posted by Robb White, CEC CCA AAC; Executive Chef & Food Waste Prevention Catalyst on April 5, 2021
Topics: Kitchen Culture, Food Waste Strategies
18 creative and efficient ways to repurpose fruit and vegetable trim
Posted by Robb White, CEC CCA AAC; Executive Chef & Food Waste Prevention Catalyst on January 28, 2021
Peels, pulp, cores, rinds, stems. When you prep fruits and vegetables you end up with trim. And for the majority of kitchens using Leanpath, trim waste ranks as their second biggest source of waste (behind overproduction). But that trim doesn’t have to lead to trim waste. You can maximize usage of this product, making better use of your food spend along the way. Remember, you paid for that rind, so why just throw it out?
Here are 18 ideas to get better use out of that often overlooked and underutilized fruit and vegetable trim.
Topics: Tips & Tricks
COVID-19 is impacting the quality of produce deliveries. Here’s how to keep it from leading to food waste.
Posted by Robb White, CEC CCA AAC; Executive Chef & Food Waste Prevention Catalyst on September 30, 2020
All facets of the foodservice industry have been affected by COVID-19, including food suppliers. The vendor partners we get our meats, seafood, and produce from are also seeing significant challenges as demand for products has reduced and supply in some areas is excessively high. The problem is, because demand is reduced, suppliers have more product on hand. This can sometimes lead to deliveries coming later in the window of freshness, which increases the risk of food waste. This is creating two issues: one, kitchens have to retrain their staff on inspecting produce; and two, operators need to figure out ways to use produce faster when they do get poor quality.
Topics: Food Waste Strategies
4 tips to create a more food-waste aware menu
Posted by Robb White, CEC CCA AAC; Executive Chef & Food Waste Prevention Catalyst on July 24, 2020
Restaurants deal with two primary costs: food and labor. In the current foodservice environment, kitchens have to get truly creative in order to meet the financial obligations of the business. Labor cost is and will always be a struggle to get a handle on. Too much labor and money is wasted, not enough and your business and customer satisfaction suffers.
Topics: Tips & Tricks, Food Waste Strategies
50 food waste prevention ideas for Earth Day’s 50th anniversary
Posted by Robb White, CEC CCA AAC; Executive Chef & Food Waste Prevention Catalyst on April 22, 2020
Today isn’t just any Earth Day, it’s the 50th Earth Day. And to celebrate we’ve collected 50 of our top food waste prevention tips for the kitchen, whether the foodservice or home kitchen. It’s cliché, but in kitchens preventing food waste, every day is Earth Day. We’re proud to help kitchens around the world bring the mission of a more sustainable planet to their teams and their work. Enjoy!
Topics: Kitchen Culture, Food Waste Strategies