Food insecurity is an ongoing crisis in our nation, affecting 1 in 9 people. Feeding America reports that U.S. restaurants generate billions of pounds of food waste annually.
Preventing and reducing food waste can help restaurants cut costs and support regional food bank efforts.
Restaurant operators can reduce food waste by examining how and when they place orders, managing their inventory, and donating unused foods to local organizations.
But what are food waste and food insecurity? What can be done to help our communities?
Food Insecurity
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life.
Though food insecurity is often associated with poverty, not all people living in poverty experience food insecurity. According to Feeding America, those living above the poverty line can also feel the effects of food insecurity.
Food insecurity impacts children, adults, and seniors from all backgrounds and communities.
To find out more about how food insecurity affects your local community, explore the Map the Meal Gap provided by Feeding America.
Food Waste
Food waste occurs when food that is safe to eat is thrown away rather than eaten. Restaurants and grocery stores are responsible for the largest portion of discarded edible foods.
Restaurants contribute to billions of pound is organic food waste a year. (Courtesy of Feeding America)
In the U.S., 35% of the 229 million tons of available food goes unsold or uneaten, according to ReFED. Unfortunately, produce that could help feed our communities is often left in the fields or orchards where it was grown.
The good news is that many national and local organizations exist to assist in collecting and distributing leftover produce that has yet to be gathered. These groups are dedicated to fighting food insecurity and reducing the unnecessary waste of edible food.
After the Harvest
Who They Are
After the Harvest strives for a healthy heartland without hunger and food waste.
Menufy is a proud sponsor of After the Harvest (ATH), which works primarily in the Greater Kansas City area to supply the region with nutritious food. ATH’s staff and a large network of volunteers rescue edible fruits and vegetables by gleaning local orchards and fields of produce that would otherwise go to waste and by picking up already harvested leftover produce. They strive to give people better, fresher choices at food pantries, which are, more often than not, stocked primarily with processed foods.
Menufy discussed the impact that ATH has had on the community with Director of Development Victoria Cherrie.
“By providing nutritious fruits and vegetables to our hungry neighbors, we are investing in their future so that they may thrive at home, at school, and at work. At the same time, we are building a healthier community,” explained Cherrie.
Gleaning
Farmers often have leftover produce that they can’t sell or are unable to recover. ATH works with the farmers to rescue their unharvested food. Instead of letting produce go to waste, these farmers allow volunteers to gather what’s left in the field after the harvest. This process is known as gleaning. This week, a group of Menufy employees returned to the field in a gleaning event:
350 pounds of apples were rescued by After the Harvest volunteers during a two hour gleaning event
Gleaned apples are then distributed to individuals and families in need of fresh produce.
Victoria Cherrie described gleaning as “a simple, centuries-old tradition developed to provide nutrition to hungry people in the community.” According to Cherrie, gleaning “saves hundreds of thousands of pounds of farm-fresh, nutritious produce that would otherwise be composted or plowed under.”
The food sourced from gleaning is immediately delivered to food banks, pantries, shelters, and community kitchens.
ATH reports that 10 million tons of produce are discarded or left unharvested on farms annually. The crops that the organization rescues are delivered to more than 360 agencies serving over 35,000 hungry people each week in the Kansas City area.
How Can Individuals Help Reduce Food Waste?
Victoria Cherrie suggests that “there are so many simple things we can do” to reduce the amount of food that is wasted each year. Planning meals, buying less at the store, and eating leftovers are easy ways to reduce your personal food waste.
Toss food scraps into a compost bin instead of throwing it into the trash.
Composting is another great way to put discarded organic material to work. Since beginning her composting journey, Victoria Cherrie says she has collected 54 pounds of food waste from her kitchen. “Scraps from meals. Things like banana peels, rinds from fruits, eggshells” are all things Cherrie now composts instead of throwing away.
Cherrie’s best advice for composting beginners is to follow Zero Food Waste Nerd on Facebook and Instagram. This is a resource for how to change your habits to minimize your food waste.
What Restaurants Can Do to Reduce Food Waste
A restaurant’s bottom line suffers when your kitchen has lots of leftover food you can’t use or sell.
Every restaurant has experienced a slow week, over-ordering, or over-prepping. If you notice an overabundance of edible ingredients in your walk-in that will not be used, you might consider donating them to a local food bank organization
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Feeding America are great resources to help your restaurant find a food donation partner.
We also asked Victoria Cherrie what else restaurants can do to help reduce food waste. In the Kansas City area, restaurants should commit to the food waste pillar of ATH’s mission. Cherrie also suggested that restaurant operators in the greater KC region consider attending Zero Food Waste events in 2022 and signing up for local gleaning events.
The National Restaurant Association has also partnered with the World Wildlife Fund to provide information about how your restaurant can reduce food waste.
Visit the Menufy Blog for more information about how your restaurant can reduce food waste while also improving your bottom line.
Final Thoughts
“Reducing food waste as a whole and helping us get produce that would otherwise be wasted into the homes of hungry families, children, and seniors in our community” is the best way to support those struggling with food insecurity, explained Victoria Cherrie.
Whether you are cooking at home, ordering food online, or are a restaurant operator, be mindful of the food waste you are creating. By implementing small changes, we can all significantly reduce the amount of edible food thrown away each year.
Visit After the Harvest or Feeding America to learn more about how you or your organization can play a part in reducing food waste and food insecurity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melissa Dimmitt, Marketing Communications Coordinator
Melissa began her digital marketing career nearly a decade ago at a restaurant group. She worked with restaurant managers and executive chefs while coordinating seasonal menu releases, executing photoshoots, and creating fresh digital content.