Feed Living, Not Landfills

HospiBuz Desk

Hotel and restaurant industry are biggish players in the growth of Tourism as a whole in India since hotels exercise a very high number of natural resources from energy to food it is needed that sustainable practices must espouse and managing the huge amounts of waste generated is one of the considerable concern. In a hotel, a major part of the revenue is generated from the kitchens of different outlets which mean a large amount of food waste is also generated. The rise of this waste and managing it is not only an environmental problem but an financial problem too. Since the waste produced here is biodegradable in nature and demand large landfills to discard a lot of resources are again used to do the same which altogether increase the cost of managing it and takes a levy on the environment by producing methane gas which is a contributor in the greenhouse effect, not to mention the destruction to diverse flora and fauna in the nearby areas because of the toxins released by this waste.

In the operation of delivering best services and achieving profits, the industry is forced to provide with high quality and quantity of food portions to survive the competition which eventually is going to waste as producing high-quality food for presentation and taste, a bulky amount of food is wasted in the process and in the same way when the customer leaves the plate due to a high portion or any other reason food is again put to waste.

Since there are varying steps where food waste is generated there is a cost involved such as a disposal and transportation of waste and labour costs. The hotel industry requires to look into effectual ways which can bring savings to cost incurred and help in waste management.

HVS Hospitality Valuation Services “Forecasting Hotel Room Requirement by 2021” highlights in their report that there is an estimated requirement of 343000
hotel rooms by the year 2021. It transparently shows the huge demand for hotels in the coming days. This kind of demand also increases the volume of waste from the hotels. The food-related is one of the major challenges for the hotel industry as well for society also. Due to the lack of proper guidelines and training food waste is becoming a burning issue for the stakeholders.

Prevention 

• To prevent food waste when planning for meals and events, key actions include data use, menu design and effectively engaging external stakeholders when sourcing.

• Dedicate space in storage areas for foods to be donated.

• Create standard labels for prepared food that include the use-by date and other information important for its reuse or donation.

• Evaluate Ingredients for alternative sourcing method to reduce spoilage or prep waste, such as frozen or pre-prepped.

• Ensure final

• Guest counts through frequent communication with the event organizers.

• If possible, one side food scraps for animal feed.