Stop Food Waste Week
How Can You Improve?
In order to reduce the food waste generated in any business you need information about where and how much is generated. For this businesses should do an assessment of the food waste they generate.
When it comes to doing a food waste assessment there are, generally, 3 stages. All of these have as an underlying goal the identification of the root causes of where and why food waste is being generated. The different stages are:
- General assessment – this is an overview of site wide information with little or no specifics about where and when the food waste is produced. Ideally every business should already be doing this as part of good waste management practices
- Source assessment – this looks at the quantities and origins (or source) of the main food wastes generated. This provides a good level of information for businesses to start reducing their food waste
- Detailed assessment – specific types of food wasted (e.g. potatoes, porridge, deli breads, etc.) are examined as well as the times and reasons of generation. This can be time consuming but has the potential to identify the root causes of repetitive food waste generation
When it comes to reducing food waste businesses can be quite resistant. Generally, the way they work and/or provide a service will have evolved into a way of working and providing a service that they are happy with. In order to convince staff and management that change is worthwhile and necessary, it is vital to have detailed information on the food waste being produced.