Reducing Food Waste and Promoting Food Recovery in the Workplace
The holidays are approaching, and for many that means it’s time to prepare decadent meals for family and coworkers alike. While feasting on great food can be a great way to celebrate many of our favorite times of year, some of us have eyes bigger than our stomachs. The more food we dish out, the more we end up tossing into the bin when we get too full. With food in abundance, it’s all the more important that we give back to those in need and increase our food recovery efforts.
Food recovery is the practice of collecting food that would otherwise be thrown away and redistributing it to people in need. Think of all the canned food drives that start up around Thanksgiving. Not only is it a great way to be charitable and help feed hungry people, but it also supports sustainability efforts. The more food we can recover, the less waste ends up in our landfills. It’s estimated that a mere 15 percent reduction in food waste in the U.S. alone could provide for over 25 million Americans annually.
Many of us know to scour our pantries for unopened non-perishables and drop them off at our local food bank, but what can we do around the workplace now and year-round to support food recovery? This guide will explore some ways we can be more mindful about the food we throw away in our workplaces and do our part to recover as much food as possible.
Raise Awareness
People can’t be part of the solution if they don’t know that there’s a problem. The first step we should take in reducing food waste at work is to spread information about what it is and how we can stop it. Provide your team with information about the issue and educate them about how they can make an impact. Explaining the environmental and social impact of food waste and the benefits of reducing it can motivate employees to keep track of their food waste and do their part in mitigating it.
Consider hosting an event like a lunch and learn to spread the word. You can even use this as an opportunity to introduce your employees to more eco-conscious options like compostable packaging and individually packaged meals so you only order the amount of food necessary for the attendees who sign up for the event.
With a more educated team behind you, you can start making a plan to approach the issue in the office. Having all hands on deck will help you create an effective and long-lasting food-reduction strategy.
Identify Food Waste Champions
Once your team members are properly informed about the many ways they can combat food waste in the office, start thinking about who in the office could be a food waste champion. Whether you identify people who are passionate about the environment and food insecurity or people who are good at influencing others, it’s important to designate those who care about the issue at hand.
Your food waste champions can organize events and encourage coworkers to be mindful about how they dispose of their snacks and meals.
Avoid Over-Purchasing
One of the best ways to avoid food waste is to prevent it. When planning in-office events or catering lunch, try to order only what’s needed.
When feeding a group of people, it’s fairly standard practice to order more than you think you’ll need to ensure everyone has enough food. Unfortunately, that also means over-purchasing is commonplace. This leads to an excess of scraps that will likely end up in the garbage.
Think through how to avoid over-serving. Would individually-packaged meals make sense for your team? Opt for this instead of a large catering tray.
Consider Composting
Through composting, we can turn food scraps into nutrient-rich soil. Thankfully, we live in a time when composting pickup services have become more commonplace, and businesses can be more involved in the composting process.
Encourage employees to separate food waste. Your business can then join a composting project in your local area. If your business has an outdoor space, there is also the option to take a DIY approach and create your own compost bins.
If your company shares a cafeteria with others, consider encouraging neighboring businesses to participate. This will reduce food waste even further. Encourage remote and hybrid employees to begin composting at home to extend your reach.
Identify Potential Donations
While we do our best to prevent excess food, sometimes leftovers are inevitable. It’s what we do with these leftovers that makes a difference. Ultimately, we want to get food where it’s needed most: in people’s stomachs.
Acceptable food items for donation can vary state by state. It’s important to identify what can and can’t be donated based on where your business is located. Once you confirm this information, consider how often your business will donate excess food.
Think about the food in your workplace. How often do you rotate it? Is there ever excessive amounts of nonperishable products? If you find that good food is going to waste, donate it instead.
Partner with Local Efforts
Now that you know what can be donated, it’s time to find out where.
Establishing partnerships with local food banks and charities allows you to donate surplus food and give back to your communities. This is a great option for areas where many food items are accepted for donation.
In places with stricter donation guidelines, it may be a better idea to outsource food donation efforts. Food redistributors and food reclamation companies are available across the country. When you have excessive leftovers, you can schedule a pickup. A representative from one of these companies will then arrive to transport the food to people who need it.
Food Waste Tracking
Keeping an eye on food waste at your worksites is another great way to avoid and eliminate excess waste. Pay attention to what items are available in your workplace. People have favorites, and this becomes obvious when some snacks are selected over others week over week. Order less of the items that remain fully stocked and more of what appears to be popular within your workplace.
Food waste tracking technology can be a valuable tool, providing you with insights to reduce excess food in your workplace.
Choose Canteen
At Canteen, we take sustainability seriously. As your partner in food and beverage solutions, we want to understand your workplace’s sustainability goals. We partner with you to show you what’s possible in your workplace and implement solutions that fit your company’s culture. Whether you want to eliminate single-use plastics or prioritize products from brands that prioritize sustainability, we want your workplace to be as you want it to be.
While we can’t always eliminate food waste entirely, we can take the necessary steps to recover as much food as possible. Whether at home or in the workplace, we can all do our part to minimize the food waste we create and donate food items to communities in need. By combining the strategies laid out in this guide, you can create a more sustainable and responsible approach to food consumption in your workplace.