Britain’s Environment Secretary David Miliband published a waste plan for England last week. I’m just now getting around to writing about the strategy because I’ve been stunned by how much sense it makes.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) plan calls for a 45 percent reduction in waste produced and for 50 percent of all household […]

I’m not sure what to make of this but thought I’d pass it along. A Singaporean company called ESMo Technologies, claims to have developed a food preserving magnet. 
In a supermarket test, the EsmoSphere supposedly increased meat’s shelf life by as much as 50 percent. Don’t believe it? Then you won’t be swayed by the company’s own photo case studies.
You can […]

Excess food is a part of the restaurant business.  I believe that reducing surplus food is the ideal, but that requires sacrificing either sales (only order a set amount for each day) or convenience (prepare food to order).  Sometimes those sacrifices just aren’t feasible.
It’s what restaurants do with the excess that interests me. They have three main choices: throw it away, […]

“All-you-can-eat” is no longer the domain of Vegas, rest stop and ethnic buffets. This food service strategy that often yields great waste has a new venue–stadiums. 
This season, L.A.’s Dodger Stadium implemented an All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion to attract fans to the frequently empty right field bleachers. The service runs from 90 minutes before the first pitch to the start of […]

It being Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer, I thought I’d pass along these general environmental tips for a summer cook out. Whether it’s today or the months to follow, it’s worth considering the article’s suggestions.
As for the article’s food waste tip–compost it–I wish the piece had encouraged barbecuers to not cook too much food and/or save […]

Food waste at colleges (or any all-you-can eat cafeteria) can reach upwards of one pound per person per meal. That’s why I’m always excited to hear about campus efforts to slow the taking-too-much phenomenon.
Rutgers University dining services posted a sign asking students to take only what they’ll eat. But JP Kemmick, a graduating senior at Pacific […]

Geno’s Chowder, in Portsmouth, N.H., has a great idea for avoiding plate waste: samples. As this article discusses,
At Geno’s, a customer can sample anything — from the chowders to the lobster meat — before making his or her choice. Fernald said she hated to see food wasted and this way the customer gets to make […]

The National Restaurant Asociation’s 2007 Restaurant Show concluded Tuesday. While I wasn’t able to attend–they make journalists jump through many, many hoops–apparently environmental awareness was a big theme there.
Exhibitors displayed plenty of recycling innovations like compostable cups made from corn. Much more exciting, though, LeanPath, Inc. unveiled its ValuWaste product. This product assesses the composition of food waste […]

Most of us can remember the euphoria of zipping out the school door for…RECESS! Yet, that rush often means uneaten food is tossed in the trash.
Studies have found that when lunch is after recess, elementary school students eat more and waste less–about 30 percent less (recess-before-lunch-powerpoint.ppt). And according to a 1996 survey, 78 percent of cafeteria managers cited “attention on recess, […]

Apparently wasted food is a hot topic in Turkey. According to Today’s Zaman, an English-language daily paper linked to The Times of London, food waste is a problem in Turkey.
In this article and a more comprehendible news roundup, the paper reported that one-third of the food from all-inclusive hotels’ buffets goes to waste. The data is from a […]