How to reduce plate waste and achieve sustainability
Plate waste from restaurants is problematic and plays a big role in total restaurant waste, yet nothing is done about this waste, because it is hardly ever considered a problem. When looking at waste in restaurants, plate waste makes up, on average, five to thirteen per cent of the total waste. In the past few years, the sizes of plates have increased, and the portion sizes have equally increased. Not only has this being seen in restaurants, but also in hospitals and cafeterias.
We tend to look for restaurants that offer us a high quantity of food for the money we spend. As such, we all enjoy buffets and cafeteria style eating – but they create a lot of food waste. Buffets allow customers to fill up more than one plate, with unlimited amounts of food available to them. Many take advantage of this, but end up throwing out a large portion of what they took due to the privilege of having unlimited food available to them. After a certain amount of time, the food left out in restaurants must be thrown out, and it cannot be donated due to health regulations.
To reduce plate waste, the University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant project looked into the waste produced at PJ’s restaurant to discover the causes of food waste and how to reduce it. It was found that food items that contained a lot of carbohydrates, like French fries, resulted in more plate waste. There was also a correlation with portion size and garnishes to plate waste. As well, it was found that more waste was associated with a lower value of food items or customer dissatisfaction.
To reduce plate waste in restaurants, customers can pack up their leftover food to eat at home. Eighty-three per cent of people do not ask for a take-out box because they are either embarrassed or do not think that they have the option. Restaurants could encourage take-home bags and offer to wrap leftover food to minimize plate waste.
Decreasing the portion sizes of all menu items can result in a decrease in revenue. Therefore, only meal items that are consistently left uneaten should be recorded and decreased in portion size, such as high carbohydrate menu items. Restaurants can also offer a children’s menu with smaller portion sizes.
When eating foods at buffets, customers should remember not to overfill their plate and consider taking less to start, only taking seconds if needed. The food waste that remains could be composted, picked up by sustainable waste collection services, fed to animals, or used for industrial purposes, such as using leftover oils for fuel.
By applying these few changes to restaurant settings, we can achieve sustainability and minimize plate waste in the future.