Talkin’ Turkey

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 2006 study by the Food and Beverage Managers’ Association (YİYDER), whose President, Aydın Özdemir, blamed hotel staff for poor planning and providing cheap food and hotel guests for taking too much. 

Pointing to the extent of wastefulness at hotels, Özdemir said, “Wastefulness is at the highest level at hotels. About 30 percent of prepared meals are thrown away. The percentage of dumped food and beverage grows significantly in July and August. This stems from a lack of planning, presentation faults and disapproval of customers.”

Yet, as seen in the news roundup, the tourism industry shot back. It blamed the waste solely on hotel guests.

The chairman of professional kitchen managers, Ali Rıza Dölkeleş, linked the waste of food with people’s greed in taking more food than they need.

While it’s probable that the blame should be shared, it’s virtually certain that eat-all-you-like buffets cause great amounts of waste.

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