28% of all food waste occurs in consumer-facing businesses like grocery stores, restaurants, and other food service establishments.
Businesses are powerful allies in the fight against food waste: They can cut back on waste in internal operations, change the dining environment to help customers waste less food, and donate surplus food to the local community.
In a study of 1,200 businesses, for every $1 invested in food loss and waste reduction, the median company realized a $14 return.
What would it look like to pile up all of the food waste from a commercial kitchen over the course of a week, a month, or a year? The Alliance got a glimpse into the answer to that question by analyzing the food waste stream of fifteen local sites through the Smart Kitchens San Diego (SKSD) program.
Check out videos from around our community!
Watch Chef Davin Waite make cauliflower chops from the crown of a cauliflower that usually gets thrown away. Chef Davin focuses on reducing waste by making delicious and unique recipes that will blow your mind. Video produced by Chef Epic.
Kathleen Bundy, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Palomar Health, explains how the hospital is addressing food waste through food waste tracking and donation. Video produced by Community Health Improvement Partners.
Watch a local example of food recovery in action: Heaven's Windows and Feeding San Diego rescue food from a local Food 4 Less store. Video produced by ABC 10 News.
California's Senate Bill 1383 is now requiring many businesses and food recovery organizations (e.g. food banks, food pantries, or other hunger-relief nonprofits) to form partnerships and facilitate donations of edible surplus food. In this video, witness a food recovery partnership in action, between grocery store Jimbo's Naturally! and nonprofit organization Urban Street Angels.
