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Alexandre Cadosch

Together against food waste

We’ve talked about plastic in hôtellerie, and how a hotel can reduce plastic waste easily, but today’s topic is another type of waste: food waste.

Each year, 290,000 tonnes of food waste are produced by organisations other than private homes. This represent 191g of food waste per guest. Food waste in hôtellerie is the result of several factors: errors in the kitchen, residues (bones, coffee beans, vegetable peels, etc.), fluctuating demand and mismanagement, poor handling, food storage problems, table scraps, etc.. While they can represent a huge financial loss for businesses, they are also an environmental disaster that can be avoided.

The association United Against Waste created an app called foodsave, to provide cost-effective and uncomplicated solutions that support you from the measurement of food waste to the implementation of suitable Food Save measures. In addition, it suggests more than 200 different solutions to avoid food waste in a hotel. Sustainability is only one click away!

Who doesn't enjoy having breakfast in a hotel that offers a buffet piled high with delicious food and drink? However, 21% of all food waste is produced by buffets. Small changes like using smaller vessels at the buffet, and not preparing egg dishes in advance, but at the guest's request, can have a surprising impact. Similarly, a large amount of waste can be avoided by increasing awareness among staff as well as guests. Hoteliers can suggest their guests contribute to greater sustainability by being conscious about it when they fill their plate. It has been shown that commitment to reducing food waste is perceived positively by guests. This is the proof that reducing food waste has not only a positive impact on the planet, but also on the hotels themselves – a win win situation.

Plate with avocado, vegetables, a poached egg and a slice of brown bread.
With some adjustments, hoteliers can reduce the impact of a breakfast buffet on food waste, while providing the best experience for their guests!

Unfinished plates are also a great contributor to the food waste in a hotel. But it is very simple to fix this problem: hoteliers can minimise the return of plates by scooping smaller portions and offering the guest more attractive prices in return. But no worries, guest doesn't have to go home hungry because of this! Moreover, hotels can provide food boxes and enable guests to easily take their leftovers home. It is important hotels make their customers aware of this possibility by inserting a flyer in their menu: a lot of clients do not ask for a doggy bag because they do not know that it is possible. Both the hotels and the guests can gain from using this trick – the hotels because they can save on disposal costs, and the guests because they can enjoy a larger portion of pleasure!

 

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