Food losses and waste are a problem that has been observed on a global scale for many years. According to the definition proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), for "food loss and waste" (Food Loss and Waste – FLW) it is considered a decrease in the total mass of food intended for human consumption.
It includes the amount of food that was originally produced for consumption, but eventually underwent natural weight loss (such as drying out), spoilage, or was used for other purposes (such as for the production of biofuels, compost, feed, etc.). Food losses and waste do not include inedible parts (for example, bones ,shells, etc.) and raw materials and products originally produced for non-consumer purposes (for example, feed, bio-components, bioenergy). The FAO definition highlights the concept of waste, understood as losses in the mass of food products at the level of trade, public catering, and households. On the contrary, losses were defined as a decrease in the mass of food in the first links of the food chain, i.e. primary production, processing.
Food waste belongs to every link in the so-called food chain, and no matter at what stage it is affected, it is always associated with negative consequences that affect the environment, society or the economy. According to the 2011 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report [3], in the first decade of the twenty-first century, about 1/3 of the world's products suitable for human consumption were consumed annually. Given the global mass of food produced, this was normal: 1.3 billion tons per year. Depending on the data source, it is estimated that at the European Union level, catering services are responsible for approx. 12% [4] – 14% [6] wasted food. A recent study conducted in Poland showed that more than 4.8 million tons of food is spent annually in Poland. The results show that most food products (60%) are spent on consumers in households. It is estimated that Poland in the field of public catering is responsible for 1.17% of food waste. The authors of the study, however, stressed that in this link of the food chain, estimates may be underestimated due to problems with collecting primary data and the lack of accounting, among other things, for public catering enterprises with less than 10 people, public catering points, and public catering services [5].
Causes of food waste in public catering establishments
Waste in public catering establishments occurs at all stages of food turnover, i.e. from the storage of raw materials/semi-finished products to the forwarding of ready meals in the consumer hall. Of course, the level of the phenomenon varies depending on the type of institution, the accepted organization of functioning, as well as the behavior and preferences of consumers using the services. Studies conducted in Poland on hotel gastronomy showed that most food was spent in the expedition department, i.e. in the buffet in the consumer hall and in the form of leftover plates. It was found that approx. 3/4 of the food wasted in hotels came from this particular department. At the same time, a significant part was made up of so-called disk residues left by consumers on plates [9]. In addition, foreign data indicate that in the field of public catering, a significant part of food waste is made up of plate residues. For example, in Swedish hospitals, plate leftovers accounted for 42% of the weight of wasted food [2], and in Malaysian hospitals, their share was estimated at 47.5% [8]. It should be emphasized that the mass of the resulting plate residues is related to the form of customer service. Serving food in the form of a self-service buffet (the so - called buffet), when an unlimited amount of food is offered and the price is fixed, these are the factors that encourage consumers to put more on their plate than they can consume [7]. In this aspect, one of the key elements that you should pay more attention to is adapting the portion size to consumer preferences. Meanwhile, for example. In the United States, the size of the portions offered is steadily increasing, which is used in the marketing activities of public catering companies. It was found that American consumers leave 17% of the products they purchase in public catering establishments [10].
Another problem faced by open - type catering establishments that affect the level of food waste is unpredictable demand. Discarding food in public catering establishments due to cooking too much food is a common occurrence. Of course, in most cases, cooked extra dishes are stored at a cooling temperature until the next day. However, it is also often recommended to throw away unspent meals that cannot be stored or used to make another meal. It is believed that producing food in large quantities minimizes costs, but in fact leads to more waste compared to custom cooking or preparing small batches [10]. The problem with estimating the required number of servings is especially common at sites where meals are served using a self-service system.
photo: pixabay
The specified cause of food waste in gastronomy is also ignoring the shelf life of food products. According to surveys conducted in Polish public catering establishments [1], almost half of respondents working in public catering establishments indicated that “from time to time” food is wasted in their workplace for this very reason.
Food waste in the food service sector can also be the result of inattention to the preferences of consumers, especially children in schools, to the quality of the food offered. In the case of school meals, the number and timing of scheduled lunch breaks is also crucial. In many primary schools in large metropolitan areas, children do not have enough time to consume food served in school canteens.
Other causes of food waste in the public catering sector are: the purchase of raw materials / products of poor quality, incorrect storage conditions for products, errors during production, lack of ideas for using raw materials/products that are in excess.
Reducing food waste in the food service sector is a major challenge, particularly due to the complex and lengthy production process and difficulties in assessing demand.
One of the possible actions already taken by some catering establishments is to sell meals at a lower price at the end of the day when it is known that they will not be consumed (for example, in the "too good to go" app). You can also transfer safe, high-quality products to organizations that provide assistance to those in need. However, this requires signing a contract and good coordination.
Literature:
1. Bilska, B., Tomasevska, M., Kolozin-Krajevska, D. (2020b). Managing the risk of food waste in foodservice establishments. Sustainability, 12, 2050.
2. Eriksson, M.; Malefors, C.; Bergström, P.; Eriksson, E.; Persson Osowski, C. Quantities and Quantification Methodologies of Food Waste in Swedish Hospitals. Sustainability, 2020, 12, 3116. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083116.
3. FAO (2011). Global food losses and food waste – Extent, causes and prevention. Pobrane z http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf. (dostęp 15.08.2021).
4. FUSIONS (2016). Estimates of European food waste levels. Downloaded from https://www.eu-fusions.org/phocadownload/Publications/Estimates%20of%20European%20food%20waste%20levels.pdf (accessed: 05.05.2021)
5. Elba, S.; Bilska, B.; Tomaszewska, M.; Elba, R.; Szczepansky, K.; Tul-Krzyszczuk, A.; Kosicka-Gębska, M.; Kolozin-Krajewska, D. an attempt to estimate food losses and waste in Poland. Food Industry, 2020, 74, 10-18
6. Monier, V., Mudgal, ,S., Escalon, V., O’Connor, C., Gibon, T., Anderson, G., Morton, G. (2010). Final Report – Preparatory Study on Food Waste Across EU 27. European Commission. [DG ENV-Directorate C]. BIO Intelligence Service, Brussels. Downloaded from https://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/pdf/bio_foodwaste_report.pdf (accessed: 25.08.2021).
7. Priefer, C., Jörissen, J., Bräutigam, K.R. (2016). Food waste prevention in Europe– a cause-driven approach to identify the most relevantleverage points for action. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 109, 155–165.
8. Razalli, N.H.; Cheah, C.F.; Mohammad, N.M.A.; Manaf, Z.A. Plate waste study among hospitalised patients receiving texture-modified diet. Nutr.Res. Pract, 2021, 15, 655-671.
9. Tomaszewska, M.; Bilska, B.; Kołożyn-Krajewska, D. Estimation of the scale of food waste in hotel food service—A case study. Sustainability, 2021, 13, 421.
10. Yahia, E.M., Mourad, M. (2019). Food waste at the consumer level. W: E.M. Yahia (red). Preventing food losses and waste to achieve food security and sustainability. 2019, Cambridge: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Author of the text: Tomaszewska Marzena (associate Professor of the Department
Scientific Research Institute of Food Technologies and Food Hygiene
about Human nutrition SGGW), Bilska Beata (Associate Professor at the SGGW Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences in
Warsaw).
Junior specialist in Marketing Communications and PR.
He is a graduate of the University of Warsaw and the Main School of Agriculture. We have been in the HoReCa industry for more than 10 years. For many years, he has been associated with the Trip group, Sobienie Royal Golf and Country Club, and the Florentin Restaurant in Warsaw.
She graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Warsaw Technical University with a degree in Architecture for the Knowledge Society and Visual Communications at the Polytechnic University of Milan. A specialist in creating a mood. She has gained experience at home and abroad at numerous international seminars (Seville, Lisbon, Florence), fellowships at La Sapienza (Rome), etc. m.in. in Carmi e Ubertis and ADM Milano.
A manager with many years of experience in the cosmetics, food, and children's industries. During his career, he was associated with such companies as: L'Oreal, Samsung, Danone-Nutricia, Unilever. During his professional life, he was responsible, among other things, for the development of e-commerce sales and content in Poland and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. 
