Food Waste Prevention in Victoria, BC
Food Waste Enviromental Impact
According to United Nations Environments programs, more than 30% of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted every year. And in Canada, it is even more: 58% of food produced is never eaten, worth $49 billion per year! In addition, when food waste goes into landfill, it decomposes and produces methane gas which is very toxic to the environment. To put it into perspective, methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide.
In this regard, hotels and restaurants have a role to play in reducing food waste production. That’s where we at BetterTable.ca comes in. We are devoted to creating a world where food waste no longer exists by helping hotels and restaurants prevent food waste to achieve a triple bottom line.
Victoria: a sustainable destination
If you are a sustainable business in Victoria, you will be aligned with the vision of Tourism Victoria: growing a better future with green initiatives. There’s something about Greater Victoria that fosters a freedom to think outside the box and to make each bite, and each night a little more sustainable than the last. This is what eco-conscious travellers want!
Destination Greater Victoria, the official destination marketing and management organization of the region, is proudly certified Climate Positive by Ostrom Climate and Synergy Enterprises and is on the path to Biosphere Certification with the Responsible Tourism Institute. With more and more carbon positive hotels and regenerative tourism activities, you’re spoiled when it comes to eco-friendly travel options.
Since 2012 the destination has worked to mitigate its environmental impact:
- Carbon footprint reduced 70%
- Waste diversion rate increased from 49% to 79%
- Water consumption reduced 48%
- Paper purchased with minimum 88% post-consumer recycled content
- 51% reduction of electricity use
Food Waste Reduction Services
BetterTable.ca provides food waste reduction services for both big and small restaurants and hotels.
Our services help you prevent food waste:
- BetterTable Academy: Our e-learning dedicated to the Canadian hospitality industry will give you helpful waste reduction tips. The training has short videos hence it is easy to follow. And relevant data for Canadian commercial hotels and restaurants are used.
- BetterTable Food Audit: learn how to make your professional kitchen save costs and reduce food waste, with the option to use a food waste tracking technology. You will get personalized food cost reduction tips!
- Sustainable Certifications: we bring our food waste expertise to get certified with Biosphere (SDG 12), Green Key Global and The PLEDGE on Food Waste.
You have the power to dramatically reduce food costs, increase profit margins, and be more sustainable.
Food Waste Technology
Track hotel and restaurant food waste with our high-end technology. BetterTable.ca is the only Canadian company that offers Food Intel Tech, a food waste tracking solution developed by our technological partner.
Some of the popular features of our technology include:
- Easy to use
- No need to buy any hardware; hence cost-effective
- Available in different formats and location
Testimonials from our current users reveal that food waste technology has reduced food costs by three to five percent, clearly showing its impact.
Food Cost Reduction
Food cost reduction is a critical indicator that the business is on the right track. However, you may be busy as a manager, and that’s where we come in. We offer food cost reduction expertise and programs to help you understand how food surplus affects your bottom line.
Get started with BetterTable.ca on your food-cost reduction journey today; get our full training for free! As you grow, you will understand how you perform compared to other hospitality leaders worldwide.
FAQ 1: How do commercial kitchens reduce food waste?
Here are eight helpful tips for a commercial kitchen trying to reduce food waste.
- Perform a food waste audit. A food waste audit lets one determine how much food is thrown away in your commercial kitchen and at what stage. Once commercial kitchens do an audit, they can select areas to focus on to reduce food waste and what action to take.
- Adequately control the store’s temperature to prevent harmful bacterial growth that spoils food.
- Adapt inventory management software that helps track and keep inventory at optimum levels.
- Use a FIFO (First in, first out) system that requires one to use older stock before using the most recent. This method significantly reduces food spoilage in commercial kitchens and restaurants.
- Reduce portion sizes or give customer portion sizes to choose from so that they select only what they can finish at a sitting.
- Reuse meal preparation excess and scraps such as leftover chicken breasts can top-dress a salad instead of throwing it away.
- Make it easy for customers to take leftovers at home by having containers or aluminum foils to facilitate. Additionally, staff should affirm that it is not inconvenient to pack leftovers for customers.
- Commercial kitchens can donate excess edible food to charity rather than allowing it to end up in bins.
A commercial kitchen can optimize its operations using the above tips and significantly impact the world.
FAQ 2: How can a restaurant or food service operation reduce the total amount of its waste?
Restaurants and food service should optimize their operations to solve the food waste challenges. This article will cover ways that restaurants and food service chains can use to curb food waste in their operations.
Promote sustainable food preparation as this will be good for the environment and ensure good food continues beyond the food waste category. An example is cleaning all vegetables and fruits simultaneously to conserve water.
Another smart move to reduce food waste is ordering in-season ingredients, as this reduces cases of ingredients or items that will expire.
Also, track the popularity of the menu dishes to identify unpopular dishes. Then, remove unpopular plates from the menu or prepare them when a customer orders, thus achieving less pre-consumer waste.
FAQ 3: How can we manage food waste in the hospitality industry?
The main goal of the hospitality industry is to provide enjoyment to its customers; however, at times enjoying comes with a waste cost. The waste cost is detrimental to our health and the environment. The question then becomes how the hospitality industry can manage its waste.
The staff should follow food safety guidelines and regularly undertake maintenance and monitoring measures. The measures will regulate and reduce food waste in the hospitality industry.
Control portion sizes and this can be achieved by avoiding serving large portions and using medium-sized plates to serve food.
Need Food Waste Reduction Services in Victoria, Canada?
Food waste is a risk businesses in the Province of British Columbia need to manage. The B.C. government is working to prevent, divert and regulate food and organic wasted, aligned with Climate Emergency Action Plans. Hence it is key for the hospitality industry to engage in waste reduction strategies not only for profit but to preserve the planet and pass it on to the next seven generations.
With BetterTable.ca’s waste reduction solutions, hotels and restaurants in Victoria, Canada, can now prevent food waste and achieve a triple bottom line. Our team of food lovers and food experts based in Victoria, Canada, are ready to walk with you in reducing the food waste journey.
For all your food waste consultancy services, contact us at +1 604 700 7587 and create a world where avoidable food waste no longer exists. You can also send our team a message at info@BetterTable.ca.
