CHANGING PORTION sizes has led to a Devon school dramatically cutting its waste.
A little communication with the students at St Cuthbert School in Torquay found that each of them was leaving about 2oz of pasta and sauce. Cue a downsizing of the serving pot at the counter from 20oz to 16oz.
The result? Weve maintained portion control and reduced the amount of pasta thrown away to practically nothing, said the schools Heidi Cooper.
According to the Sustainable Restaurant Association, 30% of foodservice waste is composed of leftovers. And its not just kids who are prepared to have smaller portions older people are too, according to Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) World Menu Report.
In fact, the vast majority of people would be happy to leave things off their order they dont like but still pay full price. But only if they were given the opportunity to do so.
Communication is key, as Cooper is proving at St Cutherts. But she is just one of hundreds of foodservice professionals who have downloaded the Wise up on Waste toolkit developed by UFS to help cut foodservice waste.
The toolkit was created to give operators and chefs all they need to help them throw away less food waste, save money and improve their bottom line, said UFS. Some chefs have been posting videos to show others what theyve achieved so far.
And to celebrate six months since the launch of the toolkit and the United Against Waste campaign, UFS is offering to pay for a days business development session with Chris Barber, food consultant and former chef to HRH Prince of Wales, worth £3,000.
