Hotel food waste is a significant issue, with millions of tonnes of food being discarded every year. Strict food safety regulations often result in perfectly good food being thrown away, leading to a wasteful practice that is harmful to both the environment and the economy. Many hotels are taking steps to minimize food waste, including reevaluating the traditional buffet format and encouraging guests to be more mindful of their food consumption.
One of the main challenges hotels face when it comes to food waste is complying with food safety legislation. Lourdes Ripoll de Oleza, Sustainability VP for Meliá Hotels International, explains that any food exposed for consumption but not consumed must be discarded to mitigate health risks. This includes buffet-style offerings, where all food left out on counters must be thrown away, even if it has not been touched. Buffet breakfasts are particularly wasteful, resulting in double the food waste per customer compared to plated meals.
To make their breakfast offerings more sustainable, some hotels have done away with buffets altogether. However, Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura believes that there are ways to make buffets more eco-friendly. At his property in Italy, steps have been taken to reduce portion sizes, offer guests smaller plates, and provide tips on appropriate portion selections. Live cooking stations are also recommended to reduce pre-prepared food surplus.
Hotel guests also play a role in reducing food waste when dining out. Bottura suggests that informative messages about the effects of wasting food can be displayed in dining rooms, encouraging guests to be more mindful of their consumption. Highlighting environmentally friendly and plant-based menu options can also prompt guests to make more sustainable choices. Leftovers can be transformed into new dishes or donated to social entities to minimize waste.
In order to become more sustainable, hotel kitchens can implement measures such as understanding guest consumption habits, measuring and adjusting recipes, and using food surplus creatively. By utilizing food scraps and trimmings in different dishes, chefs can showcase their creativity and reduce waste. Ingredients such as bread, vegetable peel, and fruit skins can be repurposed to create new dishes, reducing the amount of food that ends up in the trash.
Some hotels are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help them reduce food waste in their kitchens. The Accor hotels group has partnered with technology company Orbisk to introduce AI into their kitchens, resulting in a 22% reduction in food waste in six months. Orbisk’s AI image recognition technology tracks ingredients that are thrown away, providing valuable data that allows kitchen teams to identify where losses are occurring and implement solutions to reduce waste. By leveraging technology and innovative strategies, hotels can make significant progress in minimizing food waste and promoting a more sustainable approach to food service.
