Restaurant associates is taking the hi-tech approach to preventing food waste

Restaurant Associates, the Executive Dining Division of Compass Group UK & Ireland, is leading the way in addressing sustainability issues and is committed to taking action against one of the world’s most urgent problems: food waste. In 2013, Restaurant Associates partnered with technology company Winnow to measure, monitor and dramatically reduce food waste. In our latest blog, Alison Taylor of Restaurant Associates and David Jackson of Winnow tell us more.

Winnow tracks food waste with a digital scale placed under the food waste bin. Chefs identify items using a touchscreen tablet which is connected to the cloud, allowing the teams to record what is being thrown away. A detailed report is then sent to the teams including the weight, value, time and reason why the waste was generated. This gives chefs the information necessary to drive improvements in their production processes to cut food waste.

Restaurant Associates and Winnow’s journey began shortly after Winnow was launched in 2013, with a small pilot in the salad bar of a staff restaurant in a large multinational bank. At that time, the Head Chef was already looking into ways to reduce food waste but didn’t know exactly what and how much was ending up in the bin. We spent four months understanding their production process whilst sending detailed reports to help chefs drive change. From the salad bar, the Winnow system was applied to the entire kitchen and within 6 months food waste had been reduced by over 40%.

As the system was rolled out to other sites, we found that this success could be replicated at scale. Today sites using Winnow see food waste reduced by half on average. At the Wellcome Trust, another Restaurant Associate’s site, food waste has been reduced by more than 70%, which is the equivalent of saving an estimated 19 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.

Chris Arkadieff – Executive Chef at the Wellcome Trust says “Winnow has made my job easier as a chef because it gives me more control over my kitchen and helps the team understand and identify food waste. Together we have significantly cut food waste which helps us act more sustainably while still delivering a high level of service for our client.”

From one site with Restaurant Associates, the Winnow system was installed in hundreds of schools, universities, defence bases, hospitals and staff restaurants. We are now rolling out Winnow to 500 sites across Compass UK & Ireland. Together we have proved teams are able to typically cut food waste in half.

Food waste is an important issue for our clients too and our aim is to be best in class when it comes to delivering a high quality service, with minimal impact on the environment. We are also finding that customers demand for sustainable food has never been higher. A recent study reveals that dining habits are changing to include an interest in better food options. Diners open to sustainable, higher quality and healthy foods compose 42% of consumers today.

Reducing food waste matters. When we waste food, we lose the resources that were put into the production process, such as energy, labour, and water. Forward thinking organisations like Restaurant Associates are waking up for the opportunity which lies in food waste reductions. When preventing waste from ending up in landfills, businesses can save money and contribute to a more sustainable environment.

If you would like to learn more about Restaurant Associates and Winnow, visit www.restaurantassociates.co.uk and www.winnowsolutions.com