For foodservice operators, minimising operating costs and boosting productivity while delivering a quality customer experience is of the utmost importance.

Reducing food waste can be a win-win solution that leads to reduced purchasing and disposal costs for businesses. In fact, consumers prefer businesses that are environmentally conscious.

Most businesses try to keep waste to a minimum, but new research has found that up to 54 per cent of food waste could have been prevented for the average hospitality business in Victoria.

For many businesses, food waste is often hidden across several parts of a business. It can happen in cool rooms through expired stock, in the kitchen during preparation, on customers’ plates and at the end of the day through surplus production.

With many different staff and rubbish bins seeing food go to waste throughout the day, it can be difficult for management to get the full picture, let alone calculate the real costs.

The new Love Food Hate Waste Business program can help overcome this by walking hospitality venues through a quick food waste review to expose where food waste is really occurring and what can be done about it.

The new Victorian Government program from Sustainability Victoria was developed with the support of hospitality industry waste experts and provides practical food waste solutions tailored to busy food service venues.

The online program is completely free and is open to any food service venue in Victoria.

Delivered via email, businesses that join the program receive a resource kit containing food waste trackers, action plans and resources for staff.

Victorian hospitality venues can join now at www.lovefoodhatewaste.vic.gov.au/business