For some, food is scarce. For others, it comes in abundance. While you’re out hosting a dinner party, somewhere in one corner of the globe, a family goes to sleep without anything on their stomachs.
It’s a pretty poignant reality that isn’t that hard to digest. And one of the things you can do — if you’re on the more privileged side of the story — is to not waste food. This is why if you work with catering companies, they want to have a good picture of how many will attend your event; this is to minimize the amount of leftover food once the occasion is done.
Planning for a corporate event? Here are some tips on how to avoid wasting those precious foods!
Track food consumption data from past events. This data will show you how much food your event attendees leave on average. By knowing this, you can help estimate the amount of food and drinks more accurately.
Know how many are attending. Not all the events you host have the same number of expected attendees. On your upcoming event, make sure to have a good estimate of this statistic and use your food consumption data to project food-and-drink demand.
Keep food presentation simple. Avoid unnecessary garnishes that people attending won’t even bother to eat. You can also tone down food presentation by using simple-looking environment-friendly plates and flatwares. Food waste doesn’t only mean your maximizing food consumption, it also means using sustainability-driven utensils.
Get help from catering companies that advocates sustainability. Speaking of sustainability, you can make your event planning more efficient by hiring a catering professional with the same vision as yours.
Communicate with your attendees. On the day of your event, it’s advisable to tell your attendees about your advocacy. Your campaign of minimizing food waste is best done when the responsibility is shared with the other partakers of the event.
Donating Food is an Option You Need to Consider
If even after thoughtful planning and execution, there’s still a considerable amount of leftover food from your event — you might want to opt for food donations. But keep in mind that by saying “opt for,” it doesn’t mean that this should be an afterthought. You need to include it in your pre-event discussions as a way of addressing food waste.
The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act actually protects individuals and organizations who wish to do this and give out “apparently wholesome food.” So if you follow serve-safe guidelines, you will be protected from committing any liability that can be brought forth by the foods you’ve donated.
Knowing this safety net, event organizers are highly recommended to include the one on their options. When doing so, you need to inform your partnering catering companies about the rule of food donation — e.g. Food prepared but not served should go this charitable group.
You also have to take note that while donation is in your plan, you need to still execute your food services as efficiently as possible, with minimized waste on top of your mind.
Saint Germain is a well-respected team in the community of catering companies. Whether you have a wedding, a corporate event, or other private functions, we guarantee the best food and service for you.
