Why is food waste the major issue in collective catering?
What is food waste?
According to the national “anti-waste” pact, food waste corresponds to “all food intended for human consumption which at one stage of the food chain is lost, thrown away, degraded” .
In France, there are 10 million tonnes of food products wasted per year, including 540,000 tonnes in collective catering. As we can see, these figures are alarming, especially when we know that in France 10 million people live below the poverty line. On average, we consider that 20% of food is thrown away and that the annual weight of food waste amounts to 10 million tonnes per year. Individually, this represents 155 kg of food thrown away per person per year.
Collective catering is part of a set called RHD (out-of-home catering), it is distinguished by its social character which aims to produce a meal for a specific community. Who is concerned ? University restaurants such as Crous, company restaurants, hospitals, school catering, prisons. These organizations, depending on their audience/type of guest, are more or less prone to waste. According to an ADEME study, the most “wasteful” restaurants are hospital restaurants, nursing homes and elementary schools.
But where does this significant waste come from? One of the main causes is the mismatch between the offer offered by restaurants and the demand of diners. What makes the offer poor quality can come from different factors such as: unsuitable or low quality products, poor stock management, non-varied menus, weight problems, delivery, or even problems with appearance standards. So many causes which are not without consequences for catering organizations.
The three main issues of food waste in collective catering
The economic aspect
Food waste is a real economic issue. In France, economic losses caused by food waste amount to 16 billion euros each year . To illustrate this figure, “It’s as if each French person threw 108 euros in the trash every year”. And this food waste has consequences on all stages of the food production chain, whether on the remuneration of farmers or even for landfill which costs on average 80 euros for a tonne of food waste. Finally, reducing food waste could lead to a real reduction in monetary losses linked to production, transport and processing.
Collective restaurants serve an average of 3.4 billion meals per year, so they are among the most affected by food waste. On average, this waste can be up to four times greater than in homes.
This represents between 120g grams per person and per meal, in terms of economic losses, 68 cents per tray and per guest are lost. In addition, there are several costs, including raw materials. On average, establishments spend around €1.90 per raw material meal. These figures remain variable, because many factors come into play and can influence the rate of food waste. For example, satellite kitchens have 65% greater losses than on-site kitchens.
Reducing food waste saves money which could be reinvested in more quality products (organic/local) or in other projects. According to the Boréal program, if an establishment reduces its food waste by 1 third, it could save on average 30 euros per student per year. This also makes it possible to generate new jobs by recovering waste. This is what we call a virtuous food cycle! To conclude, food waste is expensive and prevents the development of new activities that could be flourishing for restaurateurs.
The ecological aspect
Today, the carbon footprint of food is the third most harmful sector for the environment after transport and housing. The food sector therefore contributes to the increase in climate change and affects the entire food production chain. Whether with yields or even on supply chains.
Concerning collective catering, there are 540,000 tonnes of food wasted, which is equivalent to 8% of overall French food waste. On average, a collective catering establishment produces 144 grams of bio-waste per meal, including 113 grams of losses and therefore food waste. On average, each meal causes the emission of 2.5 kg of CO2.
The collective catering sector is also a major water waster; an average consumption of between 10 and 20 liters of water per meal is estimated, which generates wastewater laden with grease which, in the long term, contributes to the creation of significant pollution. In addition, collective catering also contributes to the overexploitation of agricultural land. We use 28% of the world's agricultural land to produce food that will not be consumed.
Today, reducing our impact has become a priority to preserve our biodiversity and our species. Fighting against food waste therefore means being completely involved in the ecological transition. To do this, it seems essential to first carry out a carbon assessment within your restaurant.
The legislative aspect
For several years, government policies have become aware of the issue of food waste, below is a summary of the most important laws:
- In 2015, the law relating to energy transition was put in place to fight against food waste.
- In 2016, the Garot law supplemented the 2015 law.
- In 2018, the Agriculture and Organic law “requires public collective catering to source from 2022 with at least 50% products from organic farming”.
- In 2019, the Egalim Law was promulgated to set up a diagnosis which will allow it to measure the commitment of collective restaurants in the fight against food waste.
To conclude, collective restaurants play a major role in reducing food waste, in particular through their significant influence whether on the food sector or even on consumer mentalities. To act on these three levels, it is first necessary to carry out a precise diagnosis to determine the causes of food waste. This is why Kikleo supports you by offering a detailed and detailed analysis of your losses using innovative technological tools.
Sources: A deme ; Restoration 21 ; Api-site.paris ; Ecologie.gouv.fr .
FOR A BETTER FUTURE
You would like to take action against food waste
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