Abstract
Food waste (FW) originating from restaurants represents a pressing environmental and economic issue within the food system. In order to solve this issue, the current research aimed to explore, for the first time, in real-world settings, the economic and environmental costs and benefits of FW reduction strategies in a restaurant chain. More specifically, an unexplored segment, breakfast restaurants, was considered in the present study. The research was carried out in three Canadian breakfast establishments from the same restaurant chain. For each restaurant, an initial detailed FW characterization (food type, origin, possibility of avoidance) was first performed on seven operational days, by assessing the environmental and economic impacts. Five environmental impact categories were evaluated using life cycle assessment in accordance with ISO 14040 and 14044, while economic assessment included ingredients and FW management costs. The main indicated environmental and economic hot spots were eggs, cereals, tubers and meat products. Based on the data collected, observations, literature, and discussions with managers, FW reduction strategies with strong implementation potential were co-developed and put into practice with the restaurant teams. Following an adaptation phase, a second seven-day data collection was carried out in those restaurants and allowed to evaluate the environmental and economic costs and benefits of the implemented strategies. This innovative study supports the transition toward sustainable food systems, offering practical insights for more eco-efficient foodservice operations. It contributes to the fields of food science, sustainability, and food service management.
Presenters
Alexandra NormandeauStudent, Master’s in Food Science, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Food Production and Sustainability
KEYWORDS
Food, Waste, Eco-Efficiency, Restaurant, Environmental, Economic, Assessment, Strategies
