Sustainability
from the farm it is grown on, all the way through to the fork or bin that ends its journey. Waste can occur at any stage of this lifecycle, whether growing, processing, packing, transporting, or post-sale. And at whichever point the food is wasted, any resources that have already gone into it are also wasted – such as the greenhouses gases emitted, the water and energy used, and the unnecessary land use – all resulting in environmental and financial impacts. Food waste has a financial as well as environmental impact, costing the UK around £22 bn per year.1
Therefore,
reducing food waste is critical not just to help reduce environmental impact, but also to help homes to save money – at a time when every penny really counts. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 is to halve food waste by 2030, providing a clear target to work towards. The focus is on finding the best way to prevent waste and move it further up the food waste hierarchy,2
which ranks waste
management/reduction options in order of how good they are for the environment. The top of the diagram above presents the most favourable option of prevention, which focuses on preventing waste from occurring in the first place. There are many different approaches that could be taken to prevent food waste occurring, including developing a strategy to identify where you are currently seeing the most food waste in your home. By measuring and monitoring this, you can begin to understand trends and patterns which can help you make informed changes to your operations. Alongside measuring your own waste, it is also important to ensure that all staff understand the date labels found on food products: n Best Before – relates to the quality of the food product and is sometimes
It is also important to address excess unserved food and plate waste
presented as BBE (best before end). Food after its Best Before date will be safe to eat but may not be at its best, and you may choose to use sensory cues (such as the sniff test) to decide if the food is ok to eat. However, the Best Before date is only accurate if the food has been stored according to the packaging instructions.
n Use By – relates to food safety and is sometimes presented as UB. Food should not be used, sold, donated, or consumed past its Use By date.
Understanding these labels and ensuring you are following the correct guidance can help to ensure that food is not wasted unnecessarily, saving on both costs and environmental impact. When looking to prevent food waste in care homes, it is also important to address excess unserved food and plate waste. In this instance, portion control is incredibly important and can be supported through utilising a pre-prepared meals system that manages individual needs and unforeseen circumstances and gives set guidance on ideal portion sizing. In addition, improving plate presentation can also significantly reduce plate waste. Through serving great food that looks just as good as it tastes, residents are more likely to enjoy their meal and finish everything on their plate. Utilising your freezer to extend the lifespan of some products can also help in preventing food waste, giving you more
June 2024
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
time to use it while also locking in all the nutrients.
Once all prevention methods have
been exhausted, the next best option is to redistribute surplus food to charities or food banks, helping those who really need it. Although this might not negate the financial impact of food waste, it can help you to have a really positive impact on society. Since food redistribution was first reported in 2015, levels have increased threefold, with more than 106,000 tonnes of surplus food being redistributed in 2021.3 Here at apetito, we established a national partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare in December 2023. Since launching our partnership, we have provided over 12,000 meals to over 500 different charities, helping to make a real difference. However, it is important to remember that there are rules are regulations on redistribution, and organisations like WRAP and FareShare can support in understanding these. Following this, the next best route for
your food waste is recycling, which can be done by sending your food waste to anaerobic digestion. Through this process, it is broken down and turned into biogas which can either be used as an alternative to natural gas or used to create renewable electricity. Homes can either establish a direct relationship with an anaerobic digestion business or contact your waste contractor who may offer a service where food waste is separately collected and taken to an anaerobic digestor. Currently some local authorities will also collect your food waste. However, as part of the Environment Act 2021, weekly household food waste collection will become mandatory for
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