In the UK, 382,775 perfectly edible meals go to waste every day. In monetary terms, this wastage equates to £2.5 million per week. With food bank use at its highest and families unable to afford to feed their kids during the school holidays, this is unacceptable.
So, what are the causes of food wastage and what can be done to reduce this across foodservice outlets? We have outlined the key contributing factors to food wastage below.
- Unskilled or poorly-trained staff
- Over ordering or ordering out-of-season
- Over preparation or poor stock rotation
- Fresh produce not refrigerated on receipt
- Cooking à la carte as opposed to over producing table d'hôte items
- Insufficent trianing in store keeping and stock rotation.
- Insufficient supplier checks on freshness and quality
- Failing to follow recipes/over production
Addressing the issues above, chefs would be able to cook more efficiently and reduce the volume of food which is thrown in the bin, once the last customer has gone home.
For advice on menu development, recipe costing and streamlining your kitchen operations, contact The Full Range. Head over to Twitter to join the conversation and help #StopFoodWaste today.
