Why does it take a village to raise a child? Because a critical aspect of human development is our environment. Not just the people in our environment, but the institutions they create and run. It’s important that these establishments demonstrate the behaviors we are expected to display in society. For example, seeing compost bins in restaurants encouraged me to get my own for my home. Societal norms are frequently reinforced or even started by our community organizations and companies. So, if we want to reduce food waste, we need our village (or community) to set the example.
Here are some impactful ways owners of our community establishments can reinforce the importance of reducing food waste:
- “Skip a Side” initiative. Quite often combo meals come with additional food that’s undesired (I’m looking at you coleslaw). When substituting for something else isn’t an option, people will typically just take what is given and not eat it. If encouraged, it’s likely people would skip a side, even without a price adjustment. This can be communicated with menu notes or posters in restaurants that encourage patrons to ask that a side be excluded if they don’t plan to eat it (similar to hotels asking to hang up towels that will be reused). As a limited promotion for the initiative, owners can provide coupons to those who participate.
- Food surveys and analytics. Periodically ask the consumer what they think of the current food and/or monitor consumption. Customer surveys can at times be noisy, but you can get a sense of what’s most liked/disliked. This information can help reduce food that stays in a kitchen unordered or on a plate uneaten. This practice doesn’t only apply to restaurants – schools, churches, or any community center that provides food can benefit from knowing if people want what they’re giving (even if it’s free).
- Reduce over-service. For serving lines, encourage food workers to start with the minimum and add more upon request. For paying establishments, there may be concerns of coming across as ‘cheap’. In this event, posted literature letting the customer know why your team is taking this approach can go a long way.
- Spread the Word. Recycling, due to great PR, went from non-existent to being a standard practice around the world. Until food waste reduction can capture that type of representation, community leaders can trailblaze this effort by displaying infographics in their establishments. For example, share ways the organization reduces food waste. This would not only be good PR for the initiative, but for your institution as well.
For help on how you can implement these ideas or others, please contact Outside2Inside to support your food waste reduction journey.
By Felicia Yoakum, O2I Volunteer