There are many documents and articles about sustainability with food today. This one is grounded in operational experience in some of the highest profile, highest volume operations in the world and is intended to provide some thoughts on five specific areas that may help in launching or upgrading your sustainability program. My sustainability experience has been developed in successful food operations I’ve led and is supported by my ongoing research. The first tool that I suggest in building out your sustainability program is to ensure the person who will lead your efforts has not only an understanding of the financial aspects of your business but is also passionate about sustainability and open to learning more in an evolving challenge.
One key point that has been a consistent theme throughout the process has been an understanding that there is a cost to everything, and sustainability that isn’t operationally cost-effective for the operator, isn’t truly sustainable.
What Standards do you want to use:
Sustainability plans should be developed to be measurable, by objective, verifiable standards. Knowing what standards you want to use can serve as guidelines to where to focus your efforts, and what you need to measure to track your successes.
In selecting the standards that you want to use operationally, an excellent place to start is the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals.
These 17 goals cover a broad variety of topics. A review of those topics can provide ideas about which areas are applicable to your operation and that you and your Executive Team want to focus on. Another consideration is that those goals form the basis for many food-focused 3rd party certifications, and they can help you develop your plans to attain those certifications.
As your plans develop, it’s important that you develop objectively measurable results in your plans. This helps to ensure that your results aren’t ‘Greenwashed’ but demonstrate authentic change and results. An example of what to consider is to think about looking at the results of your sustainability programs the same way you would think about an audit to your finances. We want to be sure that everything is demonstrably true, including results that are being generated by third party suppliers.
Photo Credit: Doug Bradley
Food Waste Diversion from Landfill
Many operations start by looking at food waste, for several reasons, including the following:
- Food service and restaurants are believed to generate 15%, or more than 11 million pounds of waste in the United States.
- Food waste that ends up in a landfill generates both carbon dioxide and methane gases that are associated with a negative impact on climate change.
- Monitoring food waste in kitchens can help reduce food and labor costs by reducing preparation of food that won’t be needed.
Since 2013 the US government has provided information on the EPA, FDA and USDA websites focused on the challenges of food waste going to landfill and provide regular updates to their sites since then on the challenges and emerging solutions. Their sites can be found here:
EPA • FDA • USDA
One of the most satisfying aspects of food waste diversion is Food Rescue, where food that is good for human consumption is donated to organizations specializing in food rescue. A frequent misunderstanding by food operators that prevents them from donating food is lack of knowledge of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act that provides a broad range of protections for organizations that donate food.
An excellent overview on the USDA site can be found here.
Saving food that could be provided to feed folks in need can also provide a tax donation based on what food has been donated. While the tax calculation on donated food can be complicated, there are valuable resources that can assist in calculating potential deductions, including ReFed, a national organization focused on reducing food waste. ReFed website can be found here.
Emerging Waste Diversion Technologies and Guidance for selecting them:
As with many aspects of our day-to-day life, AI can have an impact on how we manage our trash. When looking at the available AI driven solutions to increase waste diversion it’s important to separate those that principally provide ‘Gamification’ solutions, intended only to encourage folks to deposit their trash in the correct receptacle, from those systems that take full advantage of AI capabilities by providing direction on which stream should be used, but also supply authenticated data by measuring each item deposited with a picture and an associated weight. As we move towards the future, Authenticated Data will become increasingly important, as only verifiable data is accepted by many third-party entities, both nationally and internationally. Some of the other considerations when making a choice are these:
- Does the system deliver authenticated data; is there a photo of the item that is being disposed of that can be associated with the weight of the item?
- Does the system have capability to support tracking all the waste streams that you anticipate targeting, Front of the House, Back of the House and Food Rescue, as examples? It is good practice to look ahead to integrating additional streams without additional cost.
- Is the system structured to provide digital updates to operators? As an example, a proper system can be configured to send alerts when it’s time to empty the bin to your custodial or stewarding crew.
- Is the data collected protected by state-of-the-art security, protecting the operation from potential hacking?
- Does the system have a valid patent for the technology that they are using?
Regenerative Farming, Nutrient Density and Local Sourcing
For decades there has been an increasing concern that the way we grow, process, and prepare our food is destroying our land and our health. There is a rapidly expanding body of knowledge that speaks to the value of food that is grown locally, and supports farms, ranches and fisheries that support regenerative methods. While this is too wide a topic, with too many nuances, to investigate deeply here, we will provide a deeper dive soon, to support your own exploration of this complex and evolving topic this is one of the best sources I have found to date.
The Bionutrient Association provides a list of various books that delve deeply into the topic of Biological Farming, Water, Culture and Nutrition as well as an extensive list of related topics.
As you develop the regenerative aspects you most want to support, identifying how to access and support the farmers, ranchers and processors that you want to integrate into your operation is a challenging step. For commercial operations, your food sources must be inspected and have documented food safety practices. We have found success with the following approaches:
- Talk with your local produce supplier, in many cases they have relationships with farmers in the area and will have validated that good agricultural processes are in place. Many of these companies also support the efforts of growers to enter the market and assist them in getting the required inspections and certifications
- Contacting your local Cooperative Extension Service is another good place to start.
- Holding a Business Opportunity Fair is also a fantastic way to find niche product suppliers but also other mid-to-large-size vendors that can provide products from the local community.
- Talk with your meat supplier, many of these have connections with local meat processors who can provide products that are locally produced.
Networks
In sustainability, the value of networking can’t be understated, online and/or in person are both valuable! The opportunity to meet with folks that are also looking for ways to lessen environmental impact, while improving health and supporting local growers and producers, is invaluable and a source of ongoing inspiration. An online search will provide options and sources for introductions, which can develop into areas for collaboration and an ever-widening understanding of possibilities to positively impact your business’ sustainability, while maintaining and even improving your profitability.
Please let us know your thoughts on this information and If you have questions, or would like to start a further conversation please don’t hesitate to contact BradleyWorks Sustainable Culinary at:
Doug Bradley via email, or visit our website at bradleyculinary.com
