Portion sizes in restaurants have long been focused on getting the consumer the largest amount of food for the lowest price. People have become accustomed to receiving more food than they can eat in one sitting. This is a large source of food waste in America (not to mention obesity). More food is thrown away in restaurants from uneaten plates than from food that has gone bad before it reaches the consumer. 

In addition to being given too much food, the customer is then faced with the dilemma of requesting a take-out box or simply wasting the food. This is easily avoidable with portion sizes that are more aligned with the appropriate food intake for the average human. The choice of deciding between wasting a take-out container or wasting food is the lesser of two evils logical fallacy. This choice can either be completely taken away from the consumer or dramatically reduced by implementing a more accurate portion to what the average person can eat in a sitting. 

Some restaurants have joined in the fight against waste and moved to zero-waste. The list of sustainable restaurants is slowly growing throughout the country. This is a positive trend in America, one that is beginning to gain steam with trendier dining establishments directed towards millennials and conscious patrons and a few mom and pop establishments doing great work in their community. Regina Anderson, the executive director of Food Recovery Network, works with her team to divert potential food waste to meals for local communities with chapters around the nation. 

While the restaurant industry is showing signs of greening, there are still many more restaurants continuing to waste food on a large scale. Policy needs to be part of the conversation. Elizabeth Balkan, director of food waste in the Healthy People & Thriving Communities program at NRDC, works with local communities and businesses to help fight food waste and worked on New York City’s zero waste plan. According to Balkan, cities are a key part of the solution to fighting food waste in America. Cities have the ability to implement policies that reduce waste from businesses and direct surplus food to food gaps in local communities.  

Much of the conversation about restaurant waste is geared toward composting. Composting is extremely important and should be a required policy of all restaurants but thinking about the waste stream more broadly can help to reduce the amount of food waste before it is created. For every $1 that is invested in food waste reduction, $8 are saved. Tackling this waste problem is a noble pursuit for the environment but also a benefit for the bottom line. On average, waste accounts for 4.2% of sales, according to ReFED. This adds up to tens of thousands per year or more. Companies who develop strategies to eliminate waste, stand to receive greater profits.

The future of food waste is heading in a more sustainable direction due to the hard work by many people. Restaurants will need to change their practices willingly or by compliance with new local regulations. New innovations in the restaurant industry will certainly have an increased role in the coming years. Over time it’s possible to manage the problem of food waste, the continuing effort by restaurant owners, local politicians, and thought leaders is critical. 

Originally Published on greenworldalliance.org