Food Waste Intelligence

Leanpath CEO and founder Andrew Shakman recently hosted a webinar on the future of food waste prevention and how operators must adapt to that changing landscape.

“When we look to the future,” says Shakman, “we think that food waste action is going to be more required by law and integrated into everyday practice in the world's kitchens rather than being a special activity in an innovation context. It’s going to be the norm of how we think and work.”

Here are 5 ways foodservice operations must adapt:

Foodservice operations are often high-intensity, high-pressure environments. There are quotas to meet, quality to uphold, and regulations to comply with. And typically, food waste to contend with—up to 10% of all food purchased goes to waste in the kitchen in many foodservice operations.

This post is part of a Leanpath culinary blog series looking at ideas for repurposing commonly overproduced menu items.

We encounter quite a lot of broccoli in foodservice operations’ waste data. Whether it be trim waste–i.e throwing away edible stalks–or overproduced cooked broccoli that is discarded, there are various innovative things kitchen teams can do to keep broccoli out of the bin and ensure its purchase value is retained. 

Broccoli has several qualities that make it the ideal ingredient to repurpose. Its sustenance and good value relative to its weight make it the perfect yield increasing ingredient to add to dishes. Broccoli’s low calorie and high nutrition and vibrant color also make it a repurposing super food which is also quick to cook, further enhancing its repurposing potential.

This post is part of a Leanpath culinary blog series looking at ideas for repurposing commonly overproduced menu items.

Leafy greens are a commonly wasted food item in many foodservice operations due to their delicate composition and short shelf life. Spoilage of leafy greens can often occur earlier than expected due to poor storage and so having a well-considered storage protocol along with a range of back up plans for repurposing can help keep your food waste of leafy greens to a minimum. Here are some creative ways to use leftover leafy greens:

This post is part of a new series looking at ideas for repurposing commonly overproduced menu items.

We see carrots going to waste often across the wide range of foodservice operators we work with at Leanpath, whether it be raw unprepared carrot that was not used for its primary purpose or raw or cooked carrot that was overproduced and then wasted. In both of the above circumstances, there are many actions teams can take to prevent waste of carrots by either preserving or repurposing.

With a bit of foresight, whole surplus carrots that are not going to be used can easily be saved from spoiling by being preserved and stored for a later date, becoming a texture and flavor boosting accompaniment for many dishes.