What to do about food waste has been a hot topic growing even hotter in recent years. Most efforts have targeted the back end of the food waste problem—who to send it to (local pig farmer?), how to make it smaller or disappear (grinder, bio-digester or local composter maybe?). From what I have seen, not enough has been done in our industry to address the entire “lifecycle” of food waste. That is why I was happy to read this past week that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), has launched a series of 12-week pilot projects aimed at reducing food waste in the hotel industry.
Each pilot project has been developed to tackle a critical step along the food waste supply chain. This includes measuring food waste outputs on a regular basis, improving employee training programs, creating menus designed to limit food waste and raising awareness with customers.
WWF and AHLA developed the projects in conjunction with a working group from AHLA’s Food & Beverage Committee and Sustainability Committee. Hotel brands participating in the projects include Hilton, Hyatt, IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) and Marriott International, as well as Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Sage Hospitality and Terranea Resort. The pilots were also developed with the support of The Rockefeller Foundation’s YieldWise Initiative, which aims to reduce post-harvest food loss and halve the world’s food waste by 2030.
Large Percentage of Food Wasted
How significant of a problem is food waste at your property—even at the breakfast bar? According to the press release issued about the pilot projects, one-third of the world’s available food either spoils or gets thrown away. In the United States, 40 percent of food is wasted throughout the supply chain. The majority of that loss comes from homes and food service industries, including the hotel industry.
“With its substantial food service volume and broad reach with consumers, the hospitality industry is an ideal catalyst for accelerating change,” said Pete Pearson, Director of Food Waste at World Wildlife Fund. “Imagine every hotel breakfast buffet or conference luncheon eliminating food waste. While businesses should make food donation and landfill diversion a priority, these pilot projects will focus on food waste prevention, which is ultimately better for business and the environment.”
“The hotel and lodging industry takes pride in its dedication to fulfilling our environmental responsibilities, and we recognize the leadership role we can play in continuing to advance sustainability efforts like food waste reduction programs,” added Katherine Lugar, President and CEO of AHLA. “The industry has a unique opportunity to raise awareness and design the guidelines, tools and resources needed to make a difference—the participation of some of America’s largest brands in these pilot programs underscores the industry’s long-term sustainability commitments.”
WWF, AHLA and The Rockefeller Foundation plan to roll out activities for individual hotel properties to participate in and encourage the entire industry to follow. A toolkit that reports on key findings, best practices and next steps to tackle food waste in the hotel industry will be published.
“Considering the tremendous energy, water and habitat loss embedded in our food, loss and waste can no longer be accepted,” Pearson said. “The hotel industry is showing other sectors how we can move faster through improved analytics by focusing on prevention strategies. Food waste is a problem institutions can solve faster through collaboration.”
I will be sure to check in with AHLA in 12 weeks for results of the pilot projects. In the meantime, I would love to learn about food waste reduction initiatives that have particularly successful in your company or at your property. I can be reached at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Green Lodging News Adds Green Seal as Trends Report Supporter
Green Lodging News welcomes Green Seal as a supporter of the Green Lodging Trends Report. The Green Lodging Trends Report is the lodging industry’s annual exercise to assess and catalyze green innovation, best practices, and awareness regarding the state of sustainability across hotels worldwide. This year’s Green Lodging Trends Report will summarize the results of a second annual survey produced by Green Lodging News and Greenview.
Green Seal, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1989, provides science-based standards and certifications that are credible, transparent, and essential in allowing manufacturers, purchasers, and consumers to make responsible choices that protect human health and the environment while positively impacting business.
The leadership standard for Hotels and Lodging Properties, GS-33, focuses on waste minimization, energy conservation, fresh water resource management, wastewater management, pollution prevention, and environmentally sensitive purchasing. Certification is achievable for a wide range of properties—from national chains to boutique hotels—and the three-tiered system encourages gradual but steady improvement.
Learn more at www.greenseal.org and www.greenseal.org/GS33, or contact (202) 872-6400 to find out how Green Seal can help with sustainability goals.
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