Food Waste Intelligence

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.

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

At Leanpath, we see a lot of potato waste across many of the foodservice organizations we work with. One of our largest customers recently recorded over 21,000kg of potato waste in one year. In many cases, food waste from low cost ingredients like potatoes and other starches or vegetables is considered low priority, but when labor and disposal fees are considered, there is a huge opportunity to cut costs and reduce environmental impact by giving more consideration to these ingredients. 

Repurposing leftover mashed potatoes is a great way to reduce food waste and get creative with your kitchen creations. So long as the mashed potato has been held to a safe temperature and environment, this humble food item can be the catalyst for a broad range of delicious, low waste menu creations. Here are some top ways a  professional kitchen can repurpose leftover mashed potatoes.

It’s a problem Leanpath has seen play out in foodservice kitchens for years. A kitchen decides to track and reduce food waste, but its frontline workers are unengaged because they fear they’ll be punished for acknowledging that food waste occurs.

In a recent Leanpath webinar, Engage & Empower Culinary Teams to Prevent Food Waste, Executive Chef Robb White and Director of Business Development Tom Mansel, discussed how to address that problem directly, as well as other tips for engaging your teams.

Watch the webinar excerpt above for recommendations on making food waste a safe topic or keep reading for a summary of the topic. And check out the full webinar here to learn more insights.

In late April the ReFED team released new estimates on U.S. food waste in its Insights Engine – a valuable tool to help all interested food system stakeholders learn more about the amount and causes of food waste in the U.S., its environmental impact, and the types and effectiveness of solutions to address it.

Among many notable stats was the finding that by the time food gets to a foodservice kitchen’s back door, it already contains 80% of its greenhouse gas load. Further proof that food waste prevention—actually stopping food waste from being generated—is the most effective way for kitchens to reduce their carbon footprint when they address food waste.

The world is at an inflection point regarding climate change and the many sustainability challenges underlying theUN’s Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), including food waste reduction.

We’re at thehalfway point toward the 2030 due date for the SDGs, but we are not moving fast enough on many of them to make that deadline.

Given the critical nexus aspect of food waste, it is especially important that the world get on track for halving global food waste by 2030 as called for by SDG Target 12.3.