Tips from Huw Davies, National Corporate Chef at RATIONAL UK
There is too much food ending up in the bin every year. An issue that makes you think as it uses valuable environmental resources and cash. This is an omnipresent issue in the hospitality industry too, where a few simple steps can be taken to reduce the quantity of food waste. We spoke to Huw Davies, National Corporate Chef at RATIONAL UK who gave us the following tips to avoid wastage:
- Prevent over-production from occurring in the first place
A good option is to reduce portion sizes. You reduce the quantity of leftovers and thus contribute to avoiding food waste. If the individual elements of a dish are carefully considered and the size of the individual elements on the plate are determined in advance, this will in time indicate which portion is accepted by the customer, thus avoiding waste. Offering the customers ‘top up’ is a logical complement to this.
- Pre-plan exact quantities
Another option for avoiding waste is the use of modern kitchen technology. Intelligent counting systems analyse how many plates of a dish have gone down the pass on a given day. This information can be used to calculate future requirements with more precision. A well sorted recipe database can also support the planning and delivery of dishes in different quantities.
- Use intelligent kitchen technology
Upgrading to new equipment is worth it. With Rational cooking systems, food quantities are quickly replenished. The consistent quality also ensures less waste. With the Finishing program in the SelfCookingCenter, pre-prepared dishes can be taken out of refrigeration on order and prepared in just a few minutes.
For Huw Davies, avoiding waste has double the benefit, “Testing out portion sizes or establishing new processes requires time at first, but investments can pay off quickly. Even simple measures can bring immediate success. Not only do you save in procurement, but the costs of waste disposal can also be reduced and profitability increased.”