Reduce food waste in your restaurant with these tips

In Australia alone, 7.3 million tonnes of food is lost or wasted every year; and accounts for five per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. To put it simply: one in five meals is thrown out; while one in six Australians experience hunger. We’re the third-largest contributor to global food waste. Crazy, right?

The growing global issue of food wastage is not new. It is something that we, as restaurant, cafe, bar & pub owners especially, are aware of. But why is it crucial to combat this rising issue? And furthermore, what steps can we take to do so?

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Why do our food waste habits need to change?

It’ll help the environment 🌎

Did you know that food waste from Australian restaurants and cafes produce the equivalent of almost half a million tonnes of CO2 every year? Methane is produced from the food that goes into landfill; and for those of you who didn’t know (we didn’t either!): methane is a greenhouse gas that is 84 times more potent than C02; and rapidly accelerates the effects of climate change.

It’ll prevent water wastage 🚰

In Australia alone, 1,460 gigalitres of water is used annually to produce food that then goes to landfill. That’s a huge amount of water needed; and in a country that has had multiple droughts over the last decade, it is something that should be critically evaluated when considering food wastage. 

Food hunger is also rising 🙍

It’s no secret that five million Australians go to bed hungry each night; yet we manage to waste an exorbitant amount of food each day. So, what’s the deal? There’s no denying it’s up to us to ensure less food gets wasted and more food gets redistributed around the country, to those in need.

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How can you reduce food waste in your own venue?

Log your food waste 🗑️

Keeping inventory of your orders and keeping note of where the waste is occurring—as well as what isn’t being ordered enough—will allow you to accurately assess where the waste is occurring. Then you can take the necessary steps—such as altering your weekly food orders—to ensure that you’re wasting as little as possible. This is also the prime opportunity to pay attention to use-by dates and ensure you’re using the FIFO method (that’s first-in, first-out!) Keeping a close eye on this doesn't just help with the reasons listed above but also keeps more money in your pocket - you don't want to be throwing money down the drain

Redistribute the food you won’t use ♻️

Ever heard of the Bring Me Home app? It allows restaurants to showcase how many servings of food they have left and list them at a discount for consumers to order, purchase and take home. It’s genius, really! It saves landfill gases, transport costs and feeds consumers at the same time. Their tagline “Sell more, Save more. Waste less.” couldn’t be more true; plus signing up as a business is entirely free. It's a win-win!

Did you know me&u can help?

By implementing a mobile order and pay system, you’ll have the opportunity to see purchase patterns via our user-friendly report functions. This means minimising food waste by cutting the underperforming or least popular dishes while also giving customers what they want by paying attention to what is selling. If you’d prefer not to cut anything from the menu, our reporting function will help you decide how much produce you actually need in order to fulfill the amount of weekly orders a dish receives. Good for the environment and your bottom line!