Pre Consumer Food Waste at Universities
-
Selective daily menus
Reducing Overproduction of food
Individualized food
Reinforcement of sustainable practices
Daily menus that incorporate diverse meals, but maintain selective options.
Menus apply to those with special food restrictions or dietary abstinence; ex: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, Dairy-Free, etc.
Menus are based off of existing food Inventory, so there are no new purchases unless it's the beginning of the week (that's when food is normally purchased for the upcoming week)
Controlling portions, making them smaller per serving given as many students pile on unnecessary amounts of food. This will also reduce water waste by not having to clean as many trays.
Moving to a system of trayless dining with metal utensils and real plates. This reduces waste of plastic utensils and keeping waste out of landfills.
Education regarding food usage, and proper portioning with the idea that you can always go back for more if you need it
Use food production software like Computrition, FoodPro, or CBord to manage recipes, menus, purchasing, and forecasting production. These software also can monitor how much food people eat and what is more popular to consumers.
Create a distribution plan and monitor what is eaten and what isn't
Create daily specials that revolve around leftovers
click to edit
These more thought out meals are served fresh from dining hall workers to avoid too large self-served portions
Meal preparation ingredients made in separate containers so cross contamination is avoided so most meals can be altered to fit different dietary restrictions
More food is made personalized to avoid preparing massive amounts of extra food
Donate Leftovers
Create a club or reach out to students/people in the area willing to volunteer by taking the food to the shelter
The food can be delivered/given to a food bank that can take care of storing and delivering the food where it is needed.
Create a free meals program where the excess food can be distributed to students in need of it