Top 5 ways restaurants can reduce waste and improve food safety

By LARA GEADAH for Gulf Business, December 22, 2022

Restaurant sustainability has been a major topic for a while. With the vast amount of information readily available to us online, we are more aware than ever of the impact food businesses have on the ecosystem. There is truly no time like the present to start making smart changes that can contribute to shaping a healthier industry.

Restaurants don’t have to change how they operate altogether to run a more sustainable business. In fact, there are a couple of changes they can implement today that will not require as big of an investment as they might think.

Here are five easy-to-implement restaurant sustainability tactics any restaurant can apply in its business today:

1. Start sourcing “ugly” produce that is closer to its expiry date
Ugly produce are fruits and vegetables that have cosmetic flaws. They may be oddly shaped or a little too big or small. Because of how they look, these fruits and veggies are often disregarded by supermarkets that opt for Tier A produce and as a result of that, this produce goes to waste.

Various platforms and businesses have emerged to solve the ugly problem – by helping restaurants and other stakeholders easily access this ugly produce. One such platform is HeroGo, a platform that connects farmers with consumers to supply produce that is closer to its expiry date at accessible prices.

2. Invest in predictive technology that ultimately reduces food waste
Reducing food waste is ultimately about having the right inventory systems in place to predict what your demands are going to look like throughout the week. You can look into investing in such predictive tech or tie up with businesses like Right Farm that factor in your demands as part of their service. Such tech optimises the sourcing and procurement of fresh produce for hotels, restaurants, cloud kitchens and retail sector businesses, so you only buy what you’ll likely consume and hence minimise food waste.