Category: Blog

Did you know that the food wasted in the world could feed the 800 million people who are starving worldwide TWICE? 

In 2016, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) presented some data and we could see that some food categories were wasted more than others. 

Let’s take a look at the top 5 categories that are most wasted: 

1. Potatoes and other root vegetables

2. Fruits and vegetables

3. Seafood 

4. Bread and rice 

5. Lentils and peas 

To address this moral issue of food waste, we have decided to present some food hacks and ways to use them that you can use to keep it longer and get more out of these ingredients. 

 

1. Potatoes, beets, radish, and carrots:

Root vegetables should be stored in wire mesh or natural fiber baskets at room temperature. Store potatoes in ventilated baskets or metal bins, or even a sturdy cardboard box holes poked in the sides. Make sure the container is covered with newspaper or cardboard so no light can penetrate. If they are close to expiry date; spice them up and roast them! Mashed potatoes are popular if you put enough butter in the mash (;D) 

 

2. Fruits and vegetables: 

• Do not store fruits and vegetables together: Fruits that give off high levels of ethylene (the ripening agent) can prematurely ripen and spoil surrounding vegetables.

• For vegetables: Before storing, remove ties and rubber bands and trim any leafy ends. Leave an inch to keep the vegetable from drying out. The bag you store the veggies in should have some holes punctured for good airflow. Pack vegetables loosely in the refrigerator. The closer they are, the quicker they will rot. 

• For fruits: Non-cherry stone fruits, avocados, tomatoes, mangoes, melons, apples, and pears will continue to ripen on a countertop, while items like bell peppers, grapes, all citrus, and berries should be refrigerated. Bananas ripen very quickly and will speed the ripening next to other fruits.

Fruit can be cut up and frozen (this way they will last longer) and you can make smoothies of them whenever you need them. Pickled vegetables last longer and are very delicious. 

 

3. Seafood:

• The fish should be almost odorless, at most have a hint of the sea or iodine. The older a fish, the fishier it smells.

• A shiny, firm and elastic surface appearance is a sign of freshness.

• Press down firmly on the skin with your index finger. Fresh fish is firm and springs back to shape as soon as you remove your finger, leaving no indent. Flatfish species should not flop when picked up.

• Fish should be stored in ice and not on the ice so that it is evenly cooled.

Storing the fish and seafood at the right temperature is half the battle, and most of the seafood is defrosted best slowly in a refrigerator. If the fish is cooked and then you want to reheat it slowly and add ingredients as you do it. Tacos, paella, tostadas, and pasta are all recipes that go well with fish. Is that water running in your mouth yet? 🙂 

 

4. Bread and rice:

 The best way to store bread is in plastic and on the counter. Some people think that putting it in the fridge will make it stay crisp longer, but that is the opposite – it helps the process along. Freeze the bread if you need to store it for longer and take it out for 1 hour or so before you eat and it will be as if you just bought it (I said as if). If the bread becomes stale and about to go bad, then you can either make croutons, toast it, or make some delicious melted cheese sandwiches. 

As for rice it is properly stored if it is at a cooled and dry place and the less humidity the better. Cooked rice should be cooled down quickly and then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days but longer than this then it should be stored in the freezer. Frozen rice can be stored for months and the best way to use leftover rice is to fry it with whatever you desire.  

 

5. Lentils and peas:

Lentils and peas should be stored in a dry and cool place and can be stored indefinitely if not cooked. After it has been cooked it should have the same storing conditions as rice. It can be in the fridge for 3-5 days and many months in the freezer. 

Lentils and peas leftovers are very easy to use and you just have to use your imagination. Wraps, soups, fritters, and veggie burgers. There are plenty of recipes out there and you’ll just have to find one that matches your taste buds.  

Food waste is one of the fastest-growing problems around the world. It is relatively a small issue as compared to others but the amount of food wasted is on a large scale. It is estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted globally, out of which 40 percent comes from restaurants and other food businesses.

According to the case studies held by Champions 123, investing money for reducing food waste at your restaurant can help them make more money.

Champions 123 reviewed 114 restaurants from 12 countries and they found that nearly every restaurant gets a positive return, with an average saving $7 for every $1 invested in preventing food waste at their restaurant’s kitchen.

The report also found:

In the first year, the restaurants reduced their kitchens food waste by 26 percent on average, and over 75 percent of restaurants recouped their investment. And in two years, 89 percent of restaurants recouped their investment.

Every site has its total investment below $20k.

The figure comes from small restaurants with annual sales of $400,000, all the way up to multi-million-dollar restaurants with annual sales of $17.3 million. The report explains the kinds of investments they did and how they benefited financially.

Source:  Champions 123: Business Case for Reducing

Yes, it’s that time of the year again! No, we are not talking about the annual Christmas party or New Years, but the infamous physical inventory count! Hated by (almost) everyone but a necessary evil for the business. The time of the year where the entire inventory is counted manually and there are several reasons why we do this: 

• For income tax reporting: many retailers are mandated by law to do this and have to report this in their tax forms. 

• To minimize theft and loss: it’s important to keep track of inventory to spot losses or theft. If your inventory is disappearing but you can’t see that they are sold, then you need to take a look into it. 

• To get rid of out of date products: if products are not being sold and will expire, you need to get rid of them. 

• To evaluate specific items: if there are products that are not being sold at all, you need to evaluate if it is even necessary to have it in the store. 

 

Inventory counting is a time-consuming task and it can be costly if not done correctly. How much time spent is depending on how big the business is and how many people are involved in the counting. Some bigger businesses hire a third party to do the inventory for them to save time and money, while smaller ones do it themselves. But there are ways to make it easier and maybe even fun to do inventory count:

• Plan: The business should be tidy and the counting products should be accessible for the staff to count. Give everyone tasks so that nothing is counted twice.

• Train your staff: Show your employees that are partaking the inventory count how to do it and it has to be taken seriously. They need to know what to look for and what needs to be done, especially if there is any deviation. 

• Use inventory software: To save time and money some tools and solutions can make the inventory count less time consuming and less manual. 

• Make it fun: Yes, inventory counting may be boring, but there are ways to make it fun. Order in pizza (or anything else) to show your appreciation for the staff being there and maybe even throw an after-party when all the tasks are done. 

• Do cycle counts: It is easier to spot theft or other reasons why products are disappearing when you do inventory count more often. The more often the staff does this, the easier and faster it will be when it is made into a routine.

• FIFO: Implement the “first in, first out” principle when stocking and it will be easier to detect products that are expiring or have expired. 

 

These are just suggestions on how it could be done since there are no “right” ways to do this. Businesses vary from size and personnel and it is up to the managers to figure out the best way for their business. Hiring third party to do inventory is not for everyone either, because it depends on what you sell. Expensive and fragile products should be counted by qualified personnel that is trained to handle it. Although there are no right ways to do it, you can always show appreciation for the personnel by ordering food and drinks – we do work faster and more efficient when we are full and energized.