If you use your hard-earned money to buy fruits and
vegetables for your business, and then you throw them away, you’re trashing
your cash. Food costs and waste margins must be kept in check to
safeguard your profitability.
Here are three tips for reducing food waste in your
restaurant, especially when it comes to produce.
1. Ditch Plastic Wrap for Sealing Lids
Plastic wrap is an ongoing cost, it’s cumbersome to put on,
and it is not always airtight. That can lead to frustration at best, and
a lot of food spoilage at worst.
Think about using sealing lids (like these from Cambro)
instead to keep produce and other items fresher. They’re available for
most sizes of food storage boxes.
2. Pay Attention to Optimal Storage Temperatures &
Methodology
Everything from holding temperature to – placement in your
refrigerators to- types of storage containers used can play a part in keeping
food fresher for longer periods of time.
Focus on this area can allow you more time for food prep so
you aren’t making so many things on the fly. It can also help keep fruits
and vegetables looking better, longer for a more attractive end-product for
your customers. Check out this handy guide with recommendations broken
down by fruit and veggie type and make sure you’re storing your most important
ingredients correctly.
3. Try Colander Inserts for Your Food Storage Containers
If you’ve already got good food storage containers, a
colander insert like this one can help keep fruits and veggies fresher by
draining moisture away as they’re stored.
They can also be used for thawing meat, storing seafood on
ice, etc. to help prevent contamination.
A Case Study: COGS Improved by 10%
By implementing these and other food-saving procedures, an
organic restaurant called Green2Go was able to reduce their cost of goods sold
by 10% and slash food waste. See more information here, or check out this
video.
And if you’d like a consultation on how to achieve food
waste improvement like this for your restaurant or food-service establishment,
feel free to contact us.