You may already know that the Flemish Government has the mission of reducing food waste for the future. With the help of FoodWIN, they are now doing this in their very own restaurants! The Flemish Government canteens can, therefore, be seen as frontrunners in the fight against food waste.
Last week, in fact, the restaurants started measuring the amount of food waste on a daily basis. And we went to take a look…
VISIT TO HERMAN TEIRLINCK
The FoodWIN team went to one of the 10 restaurants taking action, in Herman Teirlinck, to observe how they do it, knowing that food waste calculation is an essential step to pursue their goal.
Of course, we also had lunch there. From the open kitchen, it was possible to see the work of the cooks, listen to the sound of the plates piling up and smell the food ready to be served. Herman Teirlinck offers a great variety of choices. From hot meals and sandwiches served by the waiters to the buffet in which you can personalise your fresh salad as you wish.
After lunch (delicious) we were welcomed in the kitchen by the chef of the restaurant, who showed us step by step how they go through the whole measuring process meticulously.
The measurement:
They separate the food that’s left into different categories, such as vegetables, proteins, starchy products, and mixed meals. Then, they weigh the food separately in those categories. With a sample of 100 plates a day, they construct an average estimation of how much food waste occurs in their restaurant.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Measuring food waste is the basis to get an overview of where food waste occurs most. As described in our manual for cities, knowing the source of the problem is always the starting point to implement an effective strategy for food waste reduction.
After the diagnosis of the problem, it’s time to build a tangible strategy with all the stakeholders involved.
Would you like to know more about our process of reducing food waste? Get inspired by our manual!