Food is a basic need for the survival and it is estimated that the world population is to hit 9 billion by 2050 [1] demanding the enhanced production of this basic commodity by 60 to 70% [2]. An enhancement that will be a further burden on the planetary resources and subsequent rise in the carbon footprints. The Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition in Belgium says climate change will contribute to increasing global food prices within a range of 3-84 percent by 2050 [3], posing a serious threat to food production and security. As per the Food Authority Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presently enough food is being produced globally, however at the same time hunger and food wastage are the two paradoxical dismays to be confronted globally. The average food supply for one person in the world is around 580 kilograms. Of this around 380 kilograms is consumed, 140 kilograms is lost in production and 50 kilograms is wasted by consumers [2]. In other words, one third of the food produced annually meant for human consumption gets lost or wasted [4]. At global level this wastage translates to 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted per year. According to the World’s Food Aid Foundation, available world-hunger-statistics, about one ninth of the population accounting to 800 million people in the world suffer from starvation. The data indicates that even if one fourth of the current wastage can be saved, it is sufficient to feed 870 million hungry people in the world [5].
In the production of food many resources are required. A country’s food requirement in equivalent resources unit can be roughly converted to 10 percent of the total energy budget, 50 percent of land used, and 80 percent of freshwater consumption. In addition to these fertilizers and pesticides are also used. And on the global front the same can be converted to 70% of planet’s fresh water withdrawals, 80% of the world’s tropical and subtropical deforestation and 30 to 35% of human caused greenhouse gas emissions [6]. https://codeshoppy.com/latest-mca-project-topics-2018.html It is estimated that with the present level of global food wastage results in about 30% wastage of available agricultural land used. The wasted food amounts also contribute to the releases of greenhouse gas equivalent to 3.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. If food waste were a country it would be the third largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world, after China and U.S. [1,6]
The hospitality sector is one of the major contributors of the food waste and may be divided into for-profit and not-for-profit establishments. The not-for-profit subsection would typically consist of establishments such as staff canteen/ company guesthouses, cafeterias at schools and hospitals, etc. In UAE, due to tourism in general and in specific due to the nature of businesses and work rotation, new projects, etc. hospitality industry is always been in the focus and is one of the most intensive food consumers. This study conducted by students focuses on not-for-profit establishments and two such establishments were surveyed to collect the information related to food waste to quantify the wastage. In this paper, the names of the establishment have not been mentioned for confidentiality reasons. Each establishment is identified by an alphanumeric code E5 and E6. E5 is a low occupancy (30-50 guests) and luxury type whereas E6 is a high occupancy (1000-1500 guests) and economy type. Both the establishments use the buffet style of service for all the three meals in a day. The operation of this establishment is outsourced to a catering company which works on not-for-profit basis The survey methodology included interviewing the managerial staff and collection of information related to the quantities of food prepared, consumed and wasted for all the three meals served on daily basis viz., breakfast, lunch and dinner over a period of 2 months. The interviews conducted with the representatives of the establishments and the catering company covered the strategies being used on estimating the daily preparation quantities per meal and the waste minimization techniques followed. The questions also covered knowledge and awareness of the staff on minimizing the food waste, related local regulations, food waste disposal methods and any campaigns and signage that encourage guests to be conscious of food waste. Food served is classified into critical and non-critical food. Critical food is the cooked food and displayed on buffet table at or above 53oC and the non-critical food stored below or at room temperature. The waste generated in the food preparation stage is considered as ‘unavoidable’ whereas the waste generated in the serving stage that includes left out edible quantities in the serving dishes and on plates is considered as ‘avoidable’ waste.
The waste quantities obtained from both the establishments represented cooked food waste (i.e. un-consumed food left in the buffet serving dishes and leftovers in the guest plates). Also the number of guests served per day was collected in order to calculate the per capita food waste generation rates. The quantity of the food prepared and the quantity of avoidable food waste produced (waste from serving dishes and plate waste) per meal was physically measured during the study period. The quantity of unavoidable food waste generated during the food preparation stage was not quantified.
Food is a basic need for the survival and production of food requires utilization of copious amounts, hence depletion of natural resources. Considering the socio, moral, environmental and economic impacts of the food wastage, minimizing food waste is one of the global challenges for sustainability. Food is wasted at various stages of its life cycle from field to mouth due to various reasons. Food waste happening at the end of the food chain is avoidable. Specific to the intentional food waste, many regulations and policies are being enacted across the globe including UAE that are mainly focused on the food wastage at the retailer end. However, at the consumer end avoidable food waste reduction can be achieved mostly through personal habitual changes. It is the moral responsibility of every food consumer while satisfying the dietary requirements to conscientiously live a sustainable consumption lifestyle. From the case study, results indicate that the food waste at consumer level (avoidable) in the surveyed establishments is in the range 8-10% whichis in line with the global average. Still there is scope for further reduction. Though there is a good awareness among the staff to minimize the food waste and various techniques are in place however the support from the consumers is essential to achieve the common goal of ‘zero food waste’. This can be achieved by a blend of regulations and campaigns - implementing more stringent regulations including compliance, monitoring and infrastructure and campaigns at consumer level to bring in awareness and promote self-discipline.
