From plate to palate: Sustainable solutions for upcycling food waste in restaurants and catering

Background

Food waste (FW) in restaurants and catering arises from inefficiencies throughout food preparation, handling, and disposal stages. Addressing these inefficiencies via FW upcycling into value-added products presents a sustainable strategy to mitigate waste and advance environmental sustainability.

Scope and approach

This study explores the global impact of food waste, factors influencing its generation, and potential environmental benefits from waste prevention. It examines consumer food waste rates, where approximately 17.5% of prepared food is discarded, comprising kitchen waste (2.2%), serving waste (11.3%), and customer leftovers (3.9%). It explores methodologies used to estimate food waste across EU countries, comparing waste management practices in the UK and the Netherlands. It investigates food waste strategies in China, particularly in ethnic restaurants, and considers consumer perceptions regarding packaging's role in waste reduction. Additionally, the study covers sustainable waste management practices in Asia, including pre-treatment techniques such as upcycling, microbial conversion, anaerobic co-digestion, and 3D food printing, aimed at reducing waste by 20–30%. Furthermore, it evaluates machine learning models for predicting catering demand with 85% accuracy and analyzes a 25% reduction trend in waste within Swedish public catering.

Key findings and conclusions

The study highlights challenges and future prospects in repurposing food waste within restaurant and catering sectors. Presently, only 10–15% of food waste is repurposed, with potential to increase to 30–40% through enhanced practices and technologies. Continued research and innovation in sustainable waste management can potentially reduce overall waste by 25%, conserve resources, and foster a more sustainable food system.