Estimation of the Scale of Food Waste in Hotel Food Services—A Case Study

TLDR

Food waste in hospitality is a global challenge that has been insufficiently studied, hindering effective reduction efforts. The study aims to quantify the scale of food waste in hotel services and to recommend staff and consumer education to curb it. Researchers conducted a seven‑day diary recording of food weights in four hotels during late 2019–early 2020, capturing all stages of the production process. Results show that most waste occurs in the serving department (≈72.5 % of wasted food), with an average of 0.046 kg (5.8 %) wasted per served portion, underscoring the need for education to reduce waste.

Abstract

The problem of food waste in food services, which is global and essentially affects the entire world, is a major challenge for the hospitality industry. At the same time, it should be noted that this problem has not been sufficiently studied, which makes it difficult to reduce it effectively. The study was carried out in four hotels in late 2019 and early 2020. In order to determine the scale of food waste, the diary method was used, which consists of systematically recording, for seven days, in forms prepared for workstations, the weight of all food products and unused food, including the stage of the technological process. In the hotels under study, most food was wasted in the serving department, i.e., in the buffet in the dining room or in the form of plate waste (on average 72.55% of wasted food). After taking into account the number of hotel guests served, it was found that in the investigated facilities, an average of 0.046 kg was wasted from each serving offered to guests in the form of plate waste, which constituted 5.8% of its weight. In sum, it should be stated that in order to reduce food waste, it is necessary to educate both food services staff and consumers. Employees should be trained in the proper handling of food. Consumer education, on the other hand, should be directed toward raising awareness of the negative impact of food waste, such as that on the natural environment. In addition, it should indicate what action everyone can take to limit this negative phenomenon, whether at home, in the workplace, or in a food service establishment.