A lavish buffet is beautiful, but throwing uneaten food in the trash is not. Our sister publications group, MeetingsNet, just held a webinar where two experts offered tips to cut down food waste at events:
Focus on quality, rather than quantity. In practical terms, this may mean fewer options but a high standard of food on the buffet. Reducing the number of items that need to be prepared will save money that can be spent on higher-quality proteins and fresher vegetables, and will reduce the amount of leftovers. Review your food guarantees. Courtney Lohmann said that if you have an event for 200 people over two days share expectations for late arrivals and early departures with your caterers. Talk to your hotel, venue, or suppliers ahead of time about your intention to reduce food waste. You may find they already have systems in place to help you. Rethink the menu. The kitchen may have suggestions for a sustainable menu that you could implement for one or two meals that are either meatless or based around locally grown items. This doesn’t mean that you can’t give your guests what they want, said Lohmann. She found out that a caterer in Vancouver gets so many requests for sushi that it has actually started a side business making dog treats out of fish skins, reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfills ...--MeetingsNet
