Anticipating leftovers to better reduce losses is an important challenge that collective catering must (and can) take up, both in the school environment and in companies. As an example, an average size school of 365 young people accumulates more than 7 tons of annual waste, which is the equivalent of 20,000 meals (source: le Figaro according to the figures of the ADEME, Agency of the Environment and the Control of Energy). In general, between 150 and 200 grams of food per guest and per meal end up... in the garbage.
Fortunately, unsold stocks or waste linked to an offer not adapted to the personal tastes of customers can be limited through several solutions and approaches. This is an important perspective, given that foodservice represents nearly 3 billion meals served per year!
1st step: evaluate the cost of food losses
Losses are not limited to uneaten food, but involve different parts of the institution's life:
- Costs related to the transportation of products;
- Costs related to their storage;
- Costs related to keeping warm or cold (energy consumption);
- Preparation costs (energy and human resources);
- Waste management costs...
Losses occur at three levels: in the kitchen, during service and at the end of consumption. Unsuitable menu, overestimation of quantities, unused surplus, portions not in line with the real appetite and needs...
After having evaluated what loss management represents in concrete terms, what solutions should be adopted?
Pre-order for better inventory management
The first major innovation to fight against waste and losses is the implementation of a pre-order and click & collect.
The principle is simple: people can pre-order their dishes, drinks or menus in advance from their smartphone, computer or a dedicated terminal, before collecting their order at the appointed time. Beyond saving time, pre-ordering allows restaurant owners and managers to know in advance the number of meals and dishes to be prepared and to fine-tune the way they calculate their stocks thanks to the data collected.
Reducing food waste with more choice... and more relevant
Pre-ordering and click & collect also help limit waste, since customers consume what they really want. It also avoids choosing a default dish at the end of the service, when stocks run out.
More generally, implementing pre-ordering in your establishment will allow you to learn more about the expectations, tastes and food behavior of your customers, which will be a source of continuous improvement.
By being as close as possible to the desires and needs of pupils, students, employees and staff (including specific diets), the catering offer becomes more relevant and therefore more efficient.
Create an action plan and communicate it transparently
This is one of the main lines of thought developed in the so-called Egalim law, which has a considerable impact on the world of collective catering. Article 88 speaks of"requiring certain operators [...] of the catering industry to make public their commitments to the fight against food waste, including the internal control procedures they implement in this area . This is an extension of the Garot law anti-waste law.
For its part, Ademe recommends a two-step action:
- "carry out the diagnosis of waste" to evaluate the causes;
- "identify (the) person capable of mobilizing all the actors who can contribute to the implementation of actions in the restaurant";
Other actions exist
Awareness-raising among staff or students, stock management based on the "first in, first out" rule, voluntary initiatives involving bartering or donation... there is no shortage of approaches that have already been tried out by various types of establishments in the collective catering.
Today, technology makes it possible to optimize these efforts and to tend more and more towards a limited approach in food losses.
Discover Innovorder and its solutions adapted to the current challenges of restaurant owners.
