Delicious food is just one side of gastronomy, which also has a much more unpleasant facet, waste. Unilever Food Solutions commissioned a new World Menu Report entitled ‘Sustainable Kitchens: Reducing Food Waste’ (download it here) revolving around one of the most disturbing issues in the field of restaurant industry. The team behind the research investigated the problem and surveyed 4,000 diners in the U.S., UK, Germany, China, Russia, Poland, Brazil and Turkey. This research unveils consumers’ attitude towards the methods of food waste disposal used by restaurants and diners as well as sustainability practices these venues adopt. In fact, the problem now is really huge considering the fact that “a single restaurant in the U.S. can produce approximately 25,000-75,000 pounds of food waste in a year depending on the size of the establishment, according to an extensive analysis of restaurants by the Green Restaurant Association (GRA),” as Unilever states in its press release.
Photo: www.unileverfoodsolutions.us
The highlights from the report include:
— 96% respondents in Brazil (the highest number) and 69% respondents in Russia (the lowest number) think that it’s important that ‘places to ear’ use the following sustainable practices;
— A much higher percentage of people (89%) across China, Brazil, Russia and Turkey agreed that there should be more visibility about sustainable practices of places to eat than in developed markets;
— A second key concern for respondents globally is environmentally friendly disposal of food waste. Again this appears to be generally higher across developing markets.
“The findings of the World Menu Report demonstrate that the spotlight on food waste is extending from in home to out of home. Research has shown that a high proportion of food wasted in professional kitchens is generated at the preparation stage, so we have a role to play in helping chefs and operators to reduce these waste levels,” shared Kara Phillips, channel marketing manager at Unilever Food Solutions.
To address the problem and help U.S. restaurant and diners take up sustainability solution, Unilever is kicking off a nationwide program dubbed ‘United Against Waste,’ which provides a platform where the industry representatives are invited to share the ways of how they could reduce food waste. The initiative comes as part of the ‘Your Kitchen’ service, which sparks conversation in the community of restaurant chefs and operators, encouraging them to share tips on how to work in the most efficient way. The participating diners and restaurants also can receive an informational ‘United Against Waste’ packet of the initiative, campaign decals for restaurant entrance doors, windows, etc. to indicate that they are participating in the program, as well as order a one-on-one consultation with a Unilever Food Solutions representative, who will help them select the sustainability practices fitting their venue.