Restaurant Association and Edge Impact Kai Keepers programme reveal new insights on New Zealands cafés and restaurants’ food waste levels.
New data from the Kai Keepers pilot programme, an initiative by the Restaurant Association in collaboration with Edge Impact and supported by funding through the Ministry for the Environment, have unveiled significant insights into food waste levels in New Zealand’s cafés and restaurants. The initial phase of the programme has provided a detailed analysis of waste generation and identified key areas for targeted reduction.
During a seven-day baseline period involving 120 participants across Auckland, Bay of Plenty, and Waikato, the Kai Keepers programme uncovered the following statistics:
- Food waste: Over 13 tonnes of food waste were recorded from 108,730 covers, resulting in more than 15 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
- Plate waste: 43 percent of the total food waste comes from uneaten food on customer plates.
- Desserts: Cold desserts are a significant contributor to plate waste, often left partially uneaten by customers or unsold.
- Average waste per cover: Each cover contributes an average of 171 grams of food waste, costing approximately $0.94 per cover.
Key insights found that preparation of meats correlates with the highest levels of waste. It also found that items displayed in cabinets contribute to increased waste per cover. There is also a desert dilemma, where cold desserts have frequently remained partially uneaten, which adds to the waste crisis.
Lower price range takeaway options have seen reduced preparation waste, whereas larger portion sized have led to more waste per cover. Cafe’s that have donated to charity have reported less spoilage waste. Waste has also increased as there are now fever opening days on average.
Additional insights also highlighted critical issues for the sector.
Staff involvement: Business owners, managers, and staff were eager to adopt and enhance waste management practices, showcasing the industry's growing commitment to sustainability.
Environmental impact: The food waste recorded results in significant CO2 emissions, highlighting the environmental impact of current practices.
Cost implications: The average waste per cover contributes to financial losses for businesses.
Innovative solutions: Participants expressed interest in finding creative ways to reduce waste, such as using preparation waste in new dishes.
Behavioural changes: The data suggests a need for behavioral changes among both staff and customers to curb food waste.
Marisa Bidois, CEO of the Restaurant Association, emphasised the importance of these findings.
“Information like this has not been collected at this level before and is incredibly useful for business owners because it helps them address the root causes of food waste,” said Bidois.
“We're not always a data-rich industry, so these insights are invaluable and will help us to identify ways to reduce waste in our industry. This is both a financial issue for our businesses as well as an environmental one. We need to encourage some behaviour changes to curb this waste.”
Alison Rowe, CEO of Edge Impact, highlighted the role of measurement in creating impact.
“Understanding the drivers of food waste is crucial for delivering long-term impact. As the saying goes, 'what gets measured gets managed.' Kai Keepers’ baselining phase has provided critical insights to the hospitality sector, which is crucial for reducing waste and preventing commercial losses from food going to waste,” said Rowe.
“The insights from the Kai Keepers programme provide a solid foundation for developing strategies that not only minimise waste but also enhance sustainability across Aotearoa’s cafés and restaurants. By building capability through tailored interventions and embedding these practices, we can achieve significant long-term impacts."
The Kai Keepers programme will now move into its next phase, testing various strategies to reduce food waste, including offering smaller portion options, providing different portion sizes or reviewing and optimising the portion size of high-waste menu items, and innovative menu engineering: Utilising preparation waste in new and creative ways.
Kai Keepers has also encouraged staff to upsell items nearing their spoilage date to reduce waste.
These interventions aim to help restaurants adjust their practices by implementing innovative waste management strategies, ultimately benefiting both the environment and their bottom line. The pilot will run throughout the year, with a plan to roll out a nationwide programme in 2025.
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