Any wastage or pilferage has a ‘cost component’ associated with it. An increase in wastage translates into higher food costs that affect the profit margin. Management of food wastage in the kitchen is a complex business, however, manageable with constant efforts.
In hotels, the first step and the most important part of the control exercise towards controlling the food wastage is to start accumulating data on daily wastage. We need to know actual food wastage on a weekly and monthly basis. Once noted, we can then draw the average wastage out, with the use of prior period data. It’s more like benchmarking ourselves, and with each passing month, the average gets sturdier, since we add daily data to it.
In this process, we collect this data daily, in a sequential form, to understand the ‘real impact. Once the daily data generates, the weekly, and monthly average wastage is established.
These averages are used to create a trend line, a summary of which is presented to the chefs, controller, and hotel manager. With this process, it is easy to find out if the actual wastage is drifting from the past trend. The collection of accurate data is crucial.
I had an unusual experience while conducting this exercise in past. In one of previous hotels, my team and I were assessing a total food wastage. The format was drawn and agreed with the kitchen team to weigh the wet garbage after-meal period. This was to be done for both after the guest meal and the kitchen usage. The recording of actuals was noted in an excel spreadsheet, and shared. After a few days noticed that almost similar kgs were recorded repeatedly. Each lunchtime wastage of around 25kgs, or sometime over 2-3 kg.
The strange part was even on weekdays, when the restaurant covers were lower, the recorded wastage showed similar results. The twist came in when, in a couple of months, there was change in chef, and a new one joined. He requisitioned to purchase a new weighing scale. When asked about the present weighing scale's working condition, he informed me that there was never a weighting scale in the waste room. I was confused as to how otherwise was the kitchen team reporting wastage for months?
On further review, we find out to our utter surprise that the kitchen had given the duty of weighting the wet garbage to a casual staff of stewarding and they were putting down a random number into the wastage records.
Strange but true. Most of the time data collection exercise is being taken lightly, which dissolves the entire purpose. To save such incidents of time wastage and producing incorrect data, managers need to ensure to take responsibility honestly.
Process of data collection
Data accumulation is not a complicated task. The process needs to be completed daily. It requires an active contribution of the people associated with this process. It is a crucial step toward the aim of ‘reduction of the wastage’.
In this process, we need multiple data collection points. The more the better. Increased collection points give wider and deeper insight that helps to transform the process into the reduction of wastage.
The process begins with the stewarding sorting out food wastage and then weighted it before shifting it to the garbage room. We can define it in the following sequence;
After each meal period, we sort the wastage segregating the dry, wet and non-food. Thereafter, the food is weighed by the stewarding team.
The wastage bins are colour-coded to avoid the mix-up with non-food items. The mix-up can inflate the outcome.
It is suggested to keep a minimum of six collection points from each outlet (for three meal periods, two points - Guest, Kitchen).
A similar exercise is desirable for the staff canteen as well.
With-in a couple of weeks, the outlet will start showing the trend line once the average is noted line by line. This data will set the parameter and the efforts to control wastage will show up.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Along with the accumulation of the actual wastage data, another step is to implement the concept of waste management, that is Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. We can achieve it by,
Avoiding excess purchase
Receiving perishable goods at the correct temperature
Food storage temperature maintained and proper ventilation
FIFO system followed
Label on perishables with complete details
Use-by date
Temperature control of semi-cooked and cooked food
Cold food, mostly on display and the minimum quantity of slicing
Awareness of staff
The process starts with defining the problem, setting up the collection points, and then finding how much wastage passes through from each collection point.
Using 3R effectively, also following Food Safety and management system(FSMS) guidelines side by side. FSMS is the most important part of effective functionality for Kitchen, Storage, and Receiving, in a hotel. Thus, keeping the interest of guest as a priority, the wastage control process should be implemented, enough NOT excess.
Finally, the extent of the reduction in hotel food wastage is cantered around the availability of prior period data.
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