A new Australian study of small- to medium-sized cafes has found making small changes could prevent hundreds of tons of food waste while saving struggling businesses thousands of dollars. Creating shorter menus, ditching pie warmers and normalizing doggy bags are among the top recommendations from the RMIT University study for End Food Waste Australia. The researchers found food preparation and spoilage were the biggest culprits when it comes to both food and financial waste in cafe kitchens.
Difficulty finding time to plan and streamline menus and overproducing food was a key driver of waste and reduced profits. Australia has the world’s largest cafe industry per capita outside of Europe, and our hospitality sector is responsible for more than 16% of the nation’s food waste.
Tony Green, CEO of the Australian Foodservice Advocacy Body, which took part in the research, said the study produced timely and helpful advice. “With hospitality increasingly feeling the squeeze from the costs-of-doing business, we’re pleased to be a part of this meaningful report to cut waste, hence reduced food costs,” he said. “It’s not up to the foodservice industry alone to solve these issues, but we’re committed to doing our bit and that’s made easier with research such as this powerful study.”
Source: Phys.org
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