A study to review and improve methods of food waste management carried out at a hospitality company in South Wales

Abstract

The researcher’s personal experiences in employment, in life and upbringing meant that the researcher had great motivation and interest around the topic of food waste. However it was only during the process of completing this research study that it became evident that food waste is a global issue that must be addressed. Therefore the topic chosen is one of the most contemporary issues for the hospitality industry. Three different groups were interviewed in order to gain different information that could be converged in later results and recommendation chapters. All the interview questions were set up in order to gain as much qualitative data as possible. Firstly the hospitality company was interviewed to gain information on current figures and company policy. Then a volunteer from a food bank was interviewed in order to understand whether food banks would be able to donate fresh meals as well as the conventional tinned and canned food. Then members of the public were interviewed to gauge public attitudes towards food waste. In the end the main results showed a poor level of public awareness about the issue of food waste and how to improve the issue. This poor awareness is down to poorly marketed government educating initiatives such as “love food, hate waste”. At a corporate level some company policies have a stranglehold over companies and their food waste management. Poor methods of service and management have led to an excessive amount of food waste produced. The most important recommendation being the need to improve the public’s awareness about food waste.