Strategies to reduce kitchen waste and keep costs down

Every year, the hospitality and food service industries throw away 920,000 tonnes of food — three quarters of which is still perfectly edible;1that’s the equivalent of one in six meals going straight in the bin. From an environmental perspective, this level of waste is unsustainable and it represents a huge financial cost to catering businesses too. However, while the situation may sound bleak, it doesn’t have to be this way. With efficient planning and mindful waste management strategies, care homes can effectively reduce kitchen waste and keep costs down at the same time. 

Reducing food waste takes a fair amount of effort and planning, but there are a range of benefits to doing so. For example, food waste has serious consequences for the planet; rearing animals for meat and growing crops uses lots of fresh water and creates carbon dioxide and when these foodstuffs end up going to waste, it means that the polluting farming process has been for nothing. 

Sending edible food to rot in landfill also creates polluting methane gas and increases the number of carbon dioxide emitting garbage trucks on the road. However, by finding ways to use up the food we buy and being careful not to over order, we can reduce the needless waste that is causing so much damage to the environment.