Page 12 - foodservice news magazine Nov-Dec 2018

12
YOUR BUSINESS IS FOOD
WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE
CAFES AND RESTAURANTS ARE KNOWN TO PRODUCE TONNES FOOD WASTE,
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY. AMANDA KANE CHATS TO SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT BLAKE LINDLEY ABOUT HOW BUSINESSES CAN DO THEIR BIT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND IMPROVE THEIR BOTTOM LINE.
Y O U R
BUSINESS
IS
Food waste expert Blake Lindley has worked with dozens of cafe and
restaurants over the past five years and found a common theme – provide the data and the food waste reduction will follow.
“It doesn’t matter what type of restaurant you are, once you get that data, you’re motivated to do something about it and usually the best placed to make a decision on how,” says Lindley.
“Mostly businesses have only an anecdotal understanding of where food waste is created in their business. Putting rigour around the data collection and understanding from what part of the business it is coming from really empowers owners to act.
“Plate waste is the most universal source of food waste
in any foodservice business, particularly sides as in chips or salad or garnish. But what you do about it depends on the type of business you are, the size of meals you think you need to serve, the cost of the product, the type of service you offer.
“It works best when you can be adaptable, creative and
not necessarily tied to one thing or another. In those circumstances, that’s when we see the best results."
Lindley, 30, of Manly-based sustainability consultancy Edge Environment has experience working with the distribution and stock management of
large supermarket chains, environmental footprinting with large food franchises, and supported small businesses to reduce food waste for the past five years. His interest in food waste developed delivering the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Bin Trim program for food businesses, leading
to his company putting up its hand to pilot the fledging Love Food Hate Waste program's Your Business is Food.
They tested the program with local cafe Ora achieving a higher than average food waste saving of 75 per cent. The operation did so by offering smaller serving sizes, adapting the menu to make sides additional options,
using up ingredients in specials, and taking up the
Businesses that participate in the NSW Environment Protection Authority’s Love Food Hate Waste Your Business is Food program cut waste by an average of 21 per cent.