In 2013, the federal government launched the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, calling on every member of the food chain to help reduce the estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of food that gets thrown in the trash every year. Since then, a number of states and municipalities have joined the fight against food waste, enacting food-waste initiatives. <\/p>\n
Food waste is a big issue for healthcare operations because they produce so much of it. Healthier Hospitals Initiative, a sustainability advocate for the healthcare sector, estimates that hospitals and health systems in the U.S. produce 11.7 thousand tons of waste each day. Roughly 10 percent of that is food in the typical hospital, according to Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals, a program of the American Hospital Association. Throwing away food squanders agricultural resources and increases greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. It\u2019s also a tremendous drain on your budget, wasting money you could put to good use elsewhere.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t manage what you don\u2019t measure, says Andrew Shakman, CEO of LeanPath, a Portland, Oregon-based food-waste prevention consultancy. LeanPath offers an automated system that measures the food that gets thrown away every day. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost operations throw away 4 to 10 percent of the food they order before it even reaches a plate,\u201d Shakman says. LeanPath helps staff record all food headed for the trash and displays its estimated value. \u201cThat focuses employee attention on the problem and lays the groundwork for waste-prevention strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Renner, Director of Culinary Services and Executive Chef for BMA Management, which operates 40 assisted living communities in Illinois, agrees employee buy-in is key to waste prevention. \u201cOur managers and staff just weren\u2019t aware they were wasting so much food,\u201d he says. So he devised his own paper-based system to highlight the problem and motivate behavior changes. \u201cWe use \u2018waste logs\u2019 to record food waste. Employees have to record everything that gets thrown away\u2014and a dollar amount is attached to each item.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to standardize your recipes and quantify them to the right yields and you want to be sure you\u2019re purchasing the right product for the right use. Over time, Renner\u2019s waste logs helped staff more accurately gauge the food needed to cover each meal and encouraged them to reuse leftovers in creative ways. <\/p>\n
Use as much of the product as possible. Product trim can be a significant source of waste. Train kitchen staff to be deliberate with their cuts so they don\u2019t throw away usable product. You also may consider using value-added, ready-to-use ingredients, such as bagged produce, which eliminate trim waste.<\/p>\n
Cross-utilization is another way of getting the most value out of a product. For instance, you might serve prime rib as an entr\u00e9e and also use it thinly shaved for sandwiches and salads. By increasing the number of items in which products are used\u2014especially highly perishable items such as produce and seafood\u2014you will minimize waste.<\/p>\n
Similarly, leftovers can be utilized in dishes the next day. \u201cLeftover broccoli,\u201d Renner says, \u201cwill go into a pesto sauce, and leftover burgers can be broken into a hearty spaghetti sauce.\u201d <\/p>\n
Use product before it\u2019s outdated. Proper inventory, stock monitoring, and rotation policies are critical to preventing spoilage and expiration-date losses. <\/p>\n
Renner\u2019s staff uses plate-waste logs to track this postconsumer waste. Too much food left on the plate may mean your menus aren\u2019t meeting the needs of those you serve, that your portions are too large, or that your staff needs a refresher course in portioning standards.<\/p>\n
Consider implementing a \u201cwaste-awareness drive\u201d to highlight the plate-waste issue for staff and customers\u2014 and allow customers to request smaller portions if they desire, as Renner has. Prevention pays off. Shakman says the typical LeanPath operation shaves two to four percent off its annual food costs. Renner reports that one of his communities cut its food waste in half, capturing substantial savings that were invested back into its program.<\/p>\n
You can\u2019t eliminate food waste entirely, of course. But there are better ways of handling food waste than sending it to a landfill. The EPA recommends these options, in order of sustainable preference:<\/p>\n
Some of these options may not be available to you locally. But identify the resources that are and work with them to determine whether you can meet their requirements. Alternatively, you might blaze your own waste-reuse trail; some healthcare operations are installing grinder systems to create their own compost and using it around their campuses. <\/p>\n
Whatever you do, you\u2019ll be benefiting the planet and your bottom line.<\/p>\n