An estimated 133 billion pounds of food (enough to fill 44 skyscrapers) is wasted each year according to USDA Economic Research Service. As this excess food rots, it creates methane, a greenhouse gas harmful to the environment.
At the FoodTech Round Table Discussion hosted by Alpha Club on 09/21, FoodTech companies in NYC came together to explore matters currently shaping the food and tech space including agriculture tech, food e-commerce and the restaurant revolution. Our cofounder, Casey, attended on behalf of the team. The issue of food waste, among other topics, was examined and the discussion really got us thinking. We believe that food waste is an urgent global issue and consumers must be educated about it.
Have you ever thrown out food that looks perfectly fine because of the expiry date? A whopping $29 billion dollars worth of food is thrown out each year and approximately 5–10% of the waste is due to consumer confusion of expiry dates, according to REFed.
Expiry dates are actually the producer’s best guess of how fresh the food is. However, it does not mean that these guesses are necessarily accurate since there are many factors that play into food freshness. These dates are created by the manufacturer to protect the reputation of the food and have very little to do with food safety, according to Dan Charles of NPR. Usually, these foods can be eaten well after the “expiration” date but due to consumer confusion, perfectly good food is thrown out. So, think twice the next time you want to throw out “expired” food, it really might be perfectly fine to eat.
It is our responsibility as consumers to try to reduce food waste. There are many ways that we can cut waste starting from our own kitchen. Some include using the freezer more often, checking freshness of eggs, drying herbs, and storing leafy greens to last longer. Check out some more amazing tips here.
This is a problem that we are taking seriously at SALIDO. We are currently in the process of implementing a feature in our Kitchen Display System where our restaurants can see the amount of waste they are producing. With our integrated supply chain management, point-of-sale, KDS, and menu management systems, our customers will have the ability to aggregate data and track what food isn’t ending up on customer plates. When an actual number and monetary value is provided, restaurants are able to find effective ways to cut down on food waste. When food waste goes unnoticed in a restaurant kitchen, it is difficult to find the main causes or hold people accountable.
Learn more about the 27 solutions to combat food waste at REFed (Rethink Food Waste Through Economics and Data).
