During a time when the foodservice industry is experiencing thinner margins and altered operations, reducing food waste can support businesses as they adjust. According to a The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Restaurants, each dollar invested in solutions for kitchen food waste can result in an average of a seven dollar return for the operation. To support businesses in these efforts, ReFED and its partners recently released Incorporating Food Waste Reduction Into Your COVID-19 Operating Plans. In addition to sharing quick reference tips for operations, the document also links to several useful resources that offer more comprehensive guidance for food businesses that want to dive deeper into reducing food waste in their operations:

• The National Restaurant Association developed an extensive library of resources through its 86 Food Waste campaign, including:
  • Managing Food Waste in Restaurants, which provides easy steps to cut back on food waste and business case studies.
  • Procurement Best Practices that discuss the common pitfalls associated with procurement and ways to prevent food waste caused by overordering.
  • An assessment tool that scores your organization’s food waste reduction efforts and identifies opportunities to expand or improve.
  • A food waste calculator, which allows a business to compare the cost and potential waste associated with procuring prepared versus whole ingredients.
  • An employee engagement video highlighting the importance of reducing food waste.
• Sodexo’s downloadable Food Waste Huddle Cards share facts about food waste and provide prompts to discuss reducing waste in the commercial kitchen and at home.
• The James Beard Foundation has created Waste Not, an online course curriculum for culinary professionals with specific instruction in the subject of food waste, including food safety considerations, technical approaches, and creative applications for combatting food waste.

RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts (RecyclingWorks) also assists businesses and institutions with recycling, reuse, and food waste diversion through composting and food donation. RecyclingWorks supports businesses in Massachusetts with finding solutions to food waste, including offering best management practices for source reduction of food waste, donation, and source separation. To speak to a recycling expert, call our hotline: (888) 254-5525 or email us at info@recyclingworksma.com