October 23, 2020
7 PRACTICAL IDEAS TO PREVENT FOOD WASTE FOR RESTAURANTS
Food waste is a significant environmental issue around the globe and can have a major impact on your profitability. Here are some tips we have put together to help prevent food waste in your business:
- Stocktake regularly and check before ordering. Are there any unidentified boxes of stock that may have been over-looked?
- Review your menu – what items are not moving quickly and resulting in perished stock. Remove these from your menu or create specials to sell it, not waste it.
- Turn waste into snacks or garnishes – seasoned, roasted pumpkin seeds make a great snack or can be added to salads, fried vegetable peels can be used instead of crackers for dips.
- Learn how to incorporate ‘trimmings’ into your menu and educate your diners. Not all vegies have to be peeled to be consumed. Carrots tops can be used in pesto, and celery and beetroot leaves in salads.
- Repurpose leftovers – find creative ways to incorporate leftovers in pies, sandwiches, fritters and roast vegetable salads.
- Analyse what is coming back from the dining room – carbohydrates are the most wasted food product and consume enormous resources from paddock plate. Don’t let them end up in the bin. Adjust serving sizes where necessary.
- Temperature management is critical not just for food safety but also for getting the most shelf life out of fresh food. Food stored at 2 o C will keep significantly longer than food stored at 5o
Of course, when refrigeration breaks down, or mistakes happen due to human error (ie. Doors not shut properly) major stock losses can occur. This not only wastes the actual food stock/product, but all the resources involved in growing, transporting and preparing the food to that point. Even worse, the interruption to your business and potential loss of customers is almost immeasurable.
To help prevent this situation from occurring, considering installing wireless/digital temperature sensors in your refrigeration that continually track your temperatures and alert you at the first signs of trouble. For help finding the right system for your needs, contact the team at EnviroChill for further information.
Based in Brisbane, we work with food manufacturers, bakeries, butchers, cafes and restaurants, hospitals and aged care, everywhere from the Gold Coast, Logan, Ipswich, Toowoomba and everywhere in between to improve food safety and protect your stock. Call 0415 168 729 today.