How Your Business Can Reduce Food Waste
Food waste has been a rising issue in the twenty-first century, destroying our environment and the profitability of our Australian businesses. When moving into owning your own mobile food service business, you should consider going green.
You may ask yourself, why reduce food waste? There are a number of reasons, but broadly speaking, the benefits will not only help the environment but also your wallet. The environmental cost is not only the loss of edible food, it also represents wasted water, resources and energy to produce the food. Economically, your business could save thousands of dollars a year by being more sparing with food waste. If, on average, a third of your business’s expenditure is used on purchasing food, taking steps to reduce waste will put more money back in your pocket.
There are 3 simple methods to cut down on food waste:
Reduce: Do we need so much?
- Develop good stock control and management practices
- Teach staff the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates
- Store food appropriately to ensure its usable life is maximised
Reuse: Can we use it again?
- Donate quality edible food to food charities such as Ozharvest and Second Bite
- Reuse unsold food creatively to make other meals where it is safe to do so
- Eliminate excess garnishes – you can use off-cuts from one dish as garnishes or in stock
Recycling: Can someone else use it or convert it into something else?
- Businessrecycling.com.au – they can assist with finding service providers that collect food for recycling
- Use staff training signs and innovative systems to teach staff how to successfully recycle food waste
These three simple tips can make your business green and environmentally friendly by minimising food waste and maximising your profits.