Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers
Food waste occurs at various stages of the food supply chain, starting from the production stage on farms to processing, distribution, and consumption. It is an important global problem that has social, environmental, ethical, and economic costs. The present work aims to discuss the differences in w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Resources |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/12/10/120 |
| _version_ | 1797572357914624000 |
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| author | Carla Gonçalves Sónia Saraiva Fernando Nunes Cristina Saraiva |
| author_facet | Carla Gonçalves Sónia Saraiva Fernando Nunes Cristina Saraiva |
| author_sort | Carla Gonçalves |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Food waste occurs at various stages of the food supply chain, starting from the production stage on farms to processing, distribution, and consumption. It is an important global problem that has social, environmental, ethical, and economic costs. The present work aims to discuss the differences in waste generated from surpluses or leftovers, the monitoring systems of food waste in public food services, and the good practices to reduce food waste. Besides the accessible knowledge about reducing waste, tonnes of food were daily discarded and wasted. To achieve a sustainable food system, food waste must be reduced significantly. Collaborative efforts are necessary to achieve significant reductions in food waste for achieving SDG 12.3 in public food services. Thus, policies that support or enforce larger implementation of best practices are needed. Knowledge about food waste is important to change attitudes and behaviors toward surplus food and leftovers. Some best practices can include promoting awareness campaigns to educate staff about the impact of food waste and the best practices to reduce it, including information on proper storage, portion control, and meal planning; implementing inventory management systems; donating surplus food via collaboration with food banks and charities; optimizing portion sizes, ensuring they are adequate and manageable for customers, reducing the likelihood of leftover food on the plate; allowing customers to order smaller quantities or share a meal; providing packaging to allow customers take their leftovers home for later consumption. The procedures to be adopted by public food services should provide guidance for the selection of products that can be donated. However, specific temperature requirements depending on the food category should be complied with. This paper enlarges the understanding of surpluses and leftovers and the best practices that could be implemented in public food services to minimize food waste. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:56:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dfcaab17c2b948d185af62761aab568d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:56:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Resources |
| spelling | doaj.art-dfcaab17c2b948d185af62761aab568d2023-11-19T18:00:42ZengMDPI AGResources2079-92762023-10-01121012010.3390/resources12100120Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and LeftoversCarla Gonçalves0Sónia Saraiva1Fernando Nunes2Cristina Saraiva3CITAB–Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalCECAV–Veterinary and Animal Science Research Centre, 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalCQ-VR–Chemistry Research Centre-Vila Real, Food and Wine Chemistry Lab, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalCECAV–Veterinary and Animal Science Research Centre, 5000-801 Vila Real, PortugalFood waste occurs at various stages of the food supply chain, starting from the production stage on farms to processing, distribution, and consumption. It is an important global problem that has social, environmental, ethical, and economic costs. The present work aims to discuss the differences in waste generated from surpluses or leftovers, the monitoring systems of food waste in public food services, and the good practices to reduce food waste. Besides the accessible knowledge about reducing waste, tonnes of food were daily discarded and wasted. To achieve a sustainable food system, food waste must be reduced significantly. Collaborative efforts are necessary to achieve significant reductions in food waste for achieving SDG 12.3 in public food services. Thus, policies that support or enforce larger implementation of best practices are needed. Knowledge about food waste is important to change attitudes and behaviors toward surplus food and leftovers. Some best practices can include promoting awareness campaigns to educate staff about the impact of food waste and the best practices to reduce it, including information on proper storage, portion control, and meal planning; implementing inventory management systems; donating surplus food via collaboration with food banks and charities; optimizing portion sizes, ensuring they are adequate and manageable for customers, reducing the likelihood of leftover food on the plate; allowing customers to order smaller quantities or share a meal; providing packaging to allow customers take their leftovers home for later consumption. The procedures to be adopted by public food services should provide guidance for the selection of products that can be donated. However, specific temperature requirements depending on the food category should be complied with. This paper enlarges the understanding of surpluses and leftovers and the best practices that could be implemented in public food services to minimize food waste.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/12/10/120best practicesfood wasteleftoverspublic food servicessurpluses |
| spellingShingle | Carla Gonçalves Sónia Saraiva Fernando Nunes Cristina Saraiva Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers Resources best practices food waste leftovers public food services surpluses |
| title | Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers |
| title_full | Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers |
| title_fullStr | Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers |
| title_short | Food Waste in Public Food Service Sector—Surplus and Leftovers |
| title_sort | food waste in public food service sector surplus and leftovers |
| topic | best practices food waste leftovers public food services surpluses |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/12/10/120 |
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