10 practical tips to reduce food waste in your restaurant
21 de November, 2022
Food waste is a global problem that we should all be aware of.
On the one hand, it’s a moral problem: according to a UN report, the number of people affected by hunger in the world was around 828 million in 2021. On the other hand, it’s an environmental problem that calls into question the sustainability of various resources involved in food production (such as soil, water, energy, etc.).
According to INE data, in 2020 each Portuguese person wasted an average of 183.6 kilos of food. And although it’s families who waste the most, in second place are catering establishments.
For anyone who cooks and sells meals every day, reducing food waste must be an ever-present concern. And the truth is that more and more restaurants are aware of this reality, not only because of the importance it has for the sustainability of the planet, but also because of the savings it can represent.
Do you have a restaurant and would like to know some practical tips for reducing food waste in your establishment? Come and discover them with us!
1 – Plan your shopping well
Make sure you only buy the ingredients you need to meet the demand of your business. It can be tempting to buy larger quantities – for example, if your supplier offers a discount – and build up stock. However, these foods can end up spoiling if they are not used.
In order to be able to plan wisely and with balance, it is essential to have a good understanding of your restaurant’s consumption patterns (most ordered dishes, volume of meals served, etc.).
2 – Store food properly
Storing food in the right place and at the right temperature is crucial to preserving its quality and therefore avoiding waste. Make sure your fridges are the right temperature and that you use the most appropriate containers to store your food.
Also use a label system to identify the dates on which perishable products arrived, the dates on which they will expire and the number of doses in each container, for example.
3 – Use the FIFO method (First In, First Out)
Have you ever heard of this method of managing goods? In Portuguese it means “first in, first out” and assumes that the first food to arrive in your restaurant’s pantry or kitchen should be the first to be used/sold.
For this to happen, you should take care to place the newest products behind the older stock already stored in cupboards, on shelves or in fridges. This way, the oldest foods or ingredients will be used first, preventing them from going to waste.
4 – Keep an up-to-date inventory
Always having an accurate idea of the products you have in stock is fundamental to preventing waste. This means keeping a detailed list of all the food you have stored, ideally with expiry dates and quantities.
Keeping this inventory up to date on a daily basis will allow you not to forget that you have certain products in stock available for use.
5 – Consider the seasonality of products
Seasonal produce is not only fresher, tastier and more nutritious. They are also more durable. Using out-of-season food means using producers who are not local and that the food has to travel longer distances to reach your restaurant. They will therefore spoil more quickly.
Thus, favoring menus based on seasonal products is not only a more sensible choice in terms of waste, but also allows you to support local producers.
6 – Control portion sizes
Do your customers often leave food on their plates at the end of meals? Then it’s likely that the size of the portions you’re serving is not right. Not only do people often not eat the entire main course, but it’s even more common for side dishes such as French fries or salad to be left over.
Quantity is not synonymous with quality and adjusting portion sizes can avoid wasting food that has already been prepared. Even so, if you carry out this analysis in your establishment, do it sensibly and with discretion, taking into account the amount you charge for the respective dishes (the price of the meal should be fair in relation to what is served).
7 – Ask customers if they want to take leftovers
Make it easy for customers to take their leftovers home. When you clear the table and notice that people haven’t eaten everything, encourage them to take what’s left.
For this, it’s important to have packaging and boxes suitable for takeaway. But here too you need to keep the environment in mind: avoid plastic solutions and opt for other more ecological and sustainable alternatives.
8 – If you can, compost
Instead of throwing organic waste in the garbage can, put it in a composter. This includes fruit and vegetable peelings, grains and seeds, old bread, tea bags, coffee grounds and much more.
Composting prevents this waste from ending up in a landfill, which produces harmful gases into the atmosphere. In addition, many restaurants that already compost make use of the organic compost that results from this process as a natural fertilizer for their gardens, for example.
9 – Donate your surplus
Give your restaurant’s surplus to associations that support people in need of food. By doing so, you’re reducing the environmental impact of waste and, at the same time, helping people in need to have access to decent food.
Find out which organizations are active in your restaurant’s geographical area. Refood, for example, is already present in many Portuguese cities and carries out voluntary work that consists of collecting food in good condition from restaurants and food establishments (food that would otherwise go to waste) and then distributing it to people and families in need.
10 – Employees can also take leftovers home
Charities may have certain rules or restrictions on the food and meals they can collect. This can mean that even after donating your surplus, you still have some leftovers (such as soups, salads or other products).
In such cases, ask your employees if they would be interested in taking the food home with them. Most likely, they will be very happy to be able to take these meals for free.
Reducing food waste is a key element in both environmental and social sustainability. By adopting these practical tips in your restaurant, you are making your business more environmentally responsible and aware, but also contributing to less inequality in access to food.
So today is a good day to start putting these ideas into practice!