Reducing food waste can improve the bottom line and the environment

http://www.qsrweb.com/articles/reducing-food-waste-can-improve-the-bottom-line-and-the-environment/

Oct. 3, 2014 | by Brenda Rick Smith

Restaurants can improve their bottom line and help the environment by implementing best practices to reduce food waste.

Purchasing food that ends up in a landfill has real costs for restaurants and the environment, according to a panel of speakers featured in the recent “U.S. Food Waste Challenge” webinar sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture.

Reducing food waste can help restaurants improve the bottom line by identifying wasteful purchasing, identifying opportunities to sell waste for recycling, realizing tax benefits for charitable contributions, and avoiding penalties for violating laws aimed at reducing the amount of organic material that ends up in landfills.

A study commissioned by the Food Waste Reduction Alliance found that approximately 80 billion pounds of food are discarded into US landfills every year, with restaurants accounting for 37 percent of that waste.

That’s counter to the very mission of restaurants, said Jim Larson, program development direct for Food Donation Connection. Wasted food can also damage employee morale.

“Employees love to create, prepare and serve food, but they don’t like to throw it away,” said Larson.

An added cost

Additionally, failing to reduce food waste could start costing some restaurants, said one panelist.

For example, as of this month, Massachusetts is requiring that all entities that produce at least one ton of organic material per week must donate or recycle that waste, or face fines of up to $1,000 per offense.

More states are expected to follow, said Stephanie Ghertner, community affairs director for Darden Restaurants.

Panelists urged restaurants to reduce the amount of food they throw away by walking through the Food Recovery Hierarchy, a systematic approach to reducing food waste. The hierarchy walks restaurant operators through the most preferred methods of reducing waste – source reduction – to the least preferred method, incineration or landfill.

“Think about the EPA food recovery hierarchy in everything you do,” said Christy Cook, sustainability senior manager for Sodexo. “Most people drop down to composting. There are many more options before you get there.”

The hierarchy:

Source reduction. Restaurants should conduct a waste characterization audit, said Laura Abshire, and evaluate everything coming in and everything going out.

The National Restaurant Association’s Conserve program has created several tips for conducting a waste characterization audit.

Such audits help operators identify opportunities to shift purchasing, preparation or presentation patterns with an eye towards reducing waste. Cutting out waste often means adding dollars back in to the top line.

“Source reduction has the strongest opportunity for economic benefit,” added Cook.

Feed hungry people. According to the USDA, nearly 50 million Americans – including 16 million children – lack enough money to secure adequate daily nutrition.

Liability concerns keep many restaurants from donating food, but those fears are largely unfounded. The Bill Emerson Act, signed into law in 1996, offers protections to donors who give products to charities in good faith.

And no attempts have ever been made to sue any restaurants over illnesses caused by donated food, according to a study by the University of Arkansas.

Even so, restaurants should choose a reputable partner when donating unused food. The partner should be equipped for and committed to food safety.

“Put good safety guidelines in place, because once you are on the 6 o’clock news the Bill Emerson Act won’t help you. Your reputation will take a too great a hit,” said Eric Davis, retail product sourcing director for Feeding America.

Larson outlined some steps for potential donors:

• Identify items that can be donated. Food can be prepared, can be components, or can be a complete meal.
• Select a charity qualified in food safety. Make sure they are equipped to safely transport, store and distribute food.
• Set a regular pick up schedule.
• Track donations for traceability and tax purposes. Don’t forget to calculate savings.

Organizations like Food Donation Connection manage this process by acting as matchmakers between qualified local non-profits and restaurants. Food Donation Connection also documents and tracks donations, and reports back to the donor for tax purposes, said Larson.

Feed animals. Food that can’t be donate for human consumption is often perfectly suitable for animals, said several panelists.

In one case, a Sodexo employee took home kitchen scraps for her chickens, said Cook. Check with local farmers about their needs before sending food to composting or the garbage dump.

Industrial uses.

“Gone are the days when you were paying to have used oil and grease removed,” said Cook. Now, companies will pay your restaurant for used materials they will turn into biofuels.

Composting. Food that can’t be consumed or recycled for another use can be composted.

Cook recommended using findacomposter.com to identify local providers.

Incineration or landfill are the least desirable options for disposing of food waste, yet currently 96 percent of all food waste ends up in landfills or incinerators.

The USDA hopes to get 400 organizations that produce food – restaurants, grocery stores, processors and more – to sign on the the “Food Waste Challenge” by 2015. Those who take sign on commit to reducing the amount of food waste they produce.

Cover art: Pixaby