Wasted food reduction guidance

Resource

Wasted Food Recution Guidance

Use this guidance to turn your site visit recommendations into practical next steps. Track wasted food, identify where losses occur, and measure progress as your organization implements reduction strategies.

Track Waste

Use tracking tools to identify trends, understand loss reasons, and take corrective action.

CET Resources

Food Tracking Guidance

CET’s Food Tracking Guidance

Tracking Spreadsheet

EPA Resource

waste logbook

The EPA’s printable Waste Logbook includes the food type, loss reason, and other information to identify trends and take corrective action.

Cost Planning Tool

Wasted Food Management Cost Calculator

The EPA’s Wasted Food Management Cost Calculator compares the costs of different food recovery strategies.

Enhance Food Storage and Inventory

Observe kitchen operations, engage staff, and identify practical ways to improve storage and inventory practices.

US Food Waste Pact

Gemba Walk

The US Food Waste Pact suggests using a Gemba walk to observe, engage, learn, and solve kitchen inefficiencies.

employee engagement

Idea Record Form and Other Resources

They also provide an idea record form and other resources to help businesses get started.

Review Menu and Recipes

Review preparation, production, and menu practices to make better use of ingredients and prevent overproduction.

Improve Preparation

Empower staff to continuously improve their knife-skills during prep and aim to for full-product utilization using root-to-stalk (use of the entire vegetable) techniques.

Prevent Overproduction

Cook small batches throughout mealtimes to maintain food quality and prevent waste by limiting overproduction.

Note items that are regularly coming back uneaten on plates and adjust.

Use More of What You Buy

Align ingredients in dishes for full-product utilization. For example, if braised carrots are a popular side, is there a pesto that could use carrot greens?

Upcycle surplus unserved food into new meals.

Drexel solutions Institute

The Drexel Solutions Institute’s Food Lab works with businesses around the world to develop recipes and food products that support sustainability, nutrition, and food access. Drexel Food Lab helps businesses incorporate food scraps that would have otherwise been disposed of into creative and tasty saleable products.

Food for Staff

Create a clear and collaborative process for making surplus food available to employees.

Offer surplus food to employees by providing staff meals or offering food for staff to eat on breaks or to take home. This collaborative approach reduces wasted food while supporting staff and boosting morale.

Set clear guidelines to ensure the program runs smoothly—define which foods are eligible, consider a sign-out system, have employees agree to program parameters, and decide when food is reserved for external donation.

Sell Leftover Prepared Food

Connect excess prepared food with customers while recovering value from food that might otherwise go unsold.

Too good to go

Mobile apps like Too Good To Go connect food businesses with excess prepared food to customers who can purchase it at a discount.