Foodie Freshness: How the Hospitality Industry Fights Against Spoiling Food

Globally, the hospitality industry is notorious for its incredible amounts of food waste. It is estimated that hotels in themselves waste up to 289,700 tonnes of food a year, with many other businesses such as restaurants and bars following suit. Thankfully, many hospitality businesses are now actively waging war against food waste and spoilage. Today, we have a look at how some businesses in the industry are making a stand against waste, so read on to find out more!

• Proper Storage of Produce and Meat

  
  

  One of the best ways to reduce the amount of spoiling food in a business’ refrigerator or walk-in is to ensure that food is always handled and stored properly. Hospitality businesses all around the world have actively taken measures to ensure that they are investing in appropriate food packaging supplies that can keep produce, meats and cheeses fresher for longer. Food, especially produce, is notorious for going off when stored improperly or at wrong temperatures, which is why more effort is being put into proper handling and storage of food than ever before. Thanks to advances in food packaging and refrigeration, hospitality industries can make full use of their food supplies, leaving little to go to waste. 

• FIFO Method

  
  

  Have you heard of the FIFO method? FIFO stands for ‘first in first out’, which involves businesses labelling their ingredients and food with the dates they store them. The general concept of FIFO is to store older foods in the front section of fridges to ensure that they are used up before new products. This is a common method used by thousands of restaurants and hotels all over the world, allowing chefs and servers to not just identify foods faster but also use them more efficiently. 

• Reducing Portion Sizes

  
  

  Have you ever realised that the portions you are served at hotels or restaurants tend to be almost twice the size of a home-cooked meal? This is because many restaurants believe that larger portions create the illusion of a better deal. After all, who wouldn’t love being served lots of food when they are spending their hard-earned money at an establishment? Sadly, one of the downsides of serving mammoth portions is that it contributes to an incredible amount of food waste. Uneaten food is often thrown down the bin leading to overconsumption and unnecessary food waste. Many establishments in the hospitality industry are now combating this by serving smaller portions of more quality ingredients. Quality over quantity always wins. 

• Smaller Orders

  
  

  Oftentimes, food spoilage is due to businesses ordering too many ingredients at once. This can be a difficult issue to correct as it can be incredibly difficult to balance a strike when figuring out how much inventory you need to purchase each week. The last thing most restaurants or hotels want is to run out of food. This is why the concept of “better have extra than not enough” is so evident in many hospitality businesses. Thankfully, many businesses are now looking to strike the balance of ordering just enough for the week in order to greatly reduce food spoilage. The process of figuring this out takes a little trial and error, but when a business gets it right, they can prepare to see a great reduction in their food waste and unnecessary costs associated with that wastage.

• Pay Attention To Temperature

  
  

  Last but certainly by no means least, one of the best ways that restaurants avoid food spoilage is to ensure that food is stored at correct temperatures. This means different things for different kinds of food, but generally speaking, food stored at the appropriate temperature can last for twice as long. This may involve businesses having to invest in special fridges and thermostats to maintain a consistent temperature, but the savings will outweigh the initial costs in the long run. 

  
  
  

  And there you have it - some ways in which businesses in the hospitality industry are waging the war against food waste and food spoilage. We hope that this article has been an insightful look into the world of hospitality.